Fiendish: A Twisted Fairytale (50 page)

I cut my eyes over at Calida. She kept her eyes downcast while
nibbling on the appetizer. She shifted in her seat, obviously embarrassed that I’d learned she supported the man that cheated on her. Leaning over, I gave her a reassuring kiss on the shoulder. I would deal with her not being completely honest with me later, but for now, she needed my support.

“Darling, what struggling artist would have his knowledge of wine. This is an excellent selection by the way,” Daniel commented, raising his glass in my direction.

Dorian was clearly annoyed that Daniel was not supporting her ‘better than you attitude,’ but she wouldn’t be derailed.

“Why Love, anyone can do a Google search in order to have a basic knowledge. It doesn
’t take much to know that the most expensive bottle on the menu would taste divine.”

I took a sip of my wine
, never breaking eye contact with Dorian. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth when she shifted in her seat, dropping her eyes to her glass. She was a Class A bitch, and I could understand now how Calida could have turned out so shy and unsure of herself growing up in a house with this woman.

Our server returned with our dinner selections. Calida smiled at me before she sampled her meal, softly moaning in appreciation as she savored the duck. Daniel
’s fork stopped midair; his eyes went to Calida’s mouth then to me. He quickly diverted them when he was caught staring.
Killing them both could also be an option.
I smiled at the thought.

“This is really good,” Calida said, smiling in my direction.

“Yes, I can hear how much you are enjoying it,” I replied, winking at her.

Calida
’s face instantly flushed with color. Her hands covered her cheeks in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

“So, Seth
, you still haven’t said what it is that you do.” Dorian wiped her mouth on her napkin as she looked at me expectantly, waiting no doubt for some other failure that she hoped she could hold over her sister’s head.

“Well, I
’ve done a lot of things, but art isn’t one of them. Maybe it’s something I should consider. I do have a lot of free time on my hands.”

“So you are unemployed. Calida dear, you must really learn to get a man that can carry his own weight.”

Calida choked on her bite of duck. She took a sip of water, giving me an apologetic smile. “Seth more than carries his own weight,” she answered proudly after composing herself.

“Is that so?” Dorian asked getting defensive. “You know he has to have more than good looks to be useful.”

Daniel took a sip of wine, noticing the shift in mood as the two sisters paired off.

“Daniel here is the total package,” she continued, giving Calida a haughty smile. “He has one of the most su
ccessful accounting firms in Charlotte. He has clients all over the world.” 

“Accounting?
I always pictured them as geeky guys with glasses held together with tape and pocket protectors.”

Daniel flashed Calida a smile
, picking up on the teasing undertone in her statement.

“Yes, well I wore contacts to make a good impression,” he replied, winking at her.

Calida looked over at me wearing a nervous smile as she tried to gauge my reaction. My thumb stroked the back of her knuckles, silently letting her know she was okay. Dorian, however, was getting more annoyed that her fiancé was charmed by Calida. She was drawing him in with her refreshing innocence and naiveté in the very same way she had captivated me.

Dorian cleared her throat
, obviously wanting the attention back on her. “What exactly do you do to carry your own weight?” 

“Well, I do a lot of things.  I play the piano, I speak several languages, I am a martial arts enthusiast, and I enjoy reading.”

“Those all sound like hobbies, not work.”

“True, but I like to do what I enjoy, and I don
’t enjoy work so much.”

“So you are unemployed.” Dorian seemed most pleased with herself,
once again feeling like she had something to hold over her sister. 

Ca
sually, I took a sip of my wine, giving Calida a little wink. She put her head down in an attempt to keep from laughing out loud.

“Is there something funny you would like to share with the rest of us
, Calida?” Dorian asked, looking pissed that her sister wasn’t squirming from her attempts to belittle her.

Calida pressed her lips together
, shaking her head no. “Seth has a job, sorta.”

“How does one
‘sorta’ have a job?”

“Well, I don
’t like to work, so luckily for me, I have a very capable group of people that can keep the ship running on a daily basis which allows me to do the things I enjoy. Like spending time with your lovely sister.”  My lips grazed Calida’s shoulder as her hand came up to stroke my face.

“That does make you a lucky man…if you don
’t have to go into an office every day,” Daniel commented, taking a gulp of his wine when Dorian gave him a very unpleasant look.

“What kind of job allows that much freedom?” she asked still disbelieving.

“I own a company.”

Watching Calida
’s face light up from amusement while she watched her sister’s face contort into the most frightening scowl made me smile in return.

“What kind of company?” Dorian pressed.

“Jokobi Enterprises,” I replied, taking a bite of my lamb.

“Are you expecting us to believe that you are the owner of one of the biggest business conglomerates known today? In my law classes
, we studied the business dealings that were handled in the mergers and acquisitions of that company.”

“Yes. A lot of that would have been during my father
’s time I would imagine given your age. Although, under my reign, it’s still holding strong and growing. Most recently, I have decided to go into the interior design business. I know an excellent secretary who has amazing skills.  She and a partner are in discussions on starting their own company with full investor backing.”

Calida beamed proudly
, looking over at me, then back to Dorian who was looking ill. Daniel cleared his throat, clearly looking out of place at the exchange. My guess would be Dorian gave him a very jaded version of her sister and their relationship.

“Well, guess this meal is on you then,” he said, trying to ease the tension.

I raised my glass to him. “Sure, why not. An engagement celebration meal in honor of you and Dorian.”

The rest of dinner the conversation turned to mundane topics. Calida enjoyed the view, having never been to the Sundial before. We were lucky it was a clear night and she was able to get a wonderful view of the whole city while
restaurant moved in an extremely slow three-hundred-sixty rotation.

“Would anyone be interested in dessert or coffee this evening?” Janet asked when she returned to clear our plates.

“I’d like to see the dessert options please,” Calida replied.

“Calida, do you think that
’s wise? You look like you have put on a few pounds since I last saw you,” Dorian commented in yet another attempt to make her sister feel uneasy about herself. That woman just wouldn’t let up. “You don’t want to look frumpy in your bridesmaid dress do you?”

“I
’m sure I’ll be able to work it off later,” Calida replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Daniel nearly spit his wine across the table at the implication he quickly picked up on. Calida
’s face burned red when she realized how what she said sounded.

“That was a little crude don
’t you think, Calida? Always saying or doing the wrong thing. That hasn’t changed I see.”

“No, I didn
’t mean it like that.  I just…”

I turned her face to look at me. “I think
you meant it exactly like that, and I’m going to hold you to it. Now, what do you want for dessert?”

She glanced back at the menu then back to me, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
“The smoked chocolate pâté.”

I felt the smile spread across my face.
“An excellent choice, Ms. Alexander. Janet, one smoked chocolate pâté for us.”

“Yes, sir.
Anything for you two?” she asked, looking over at Dorian and Daniel.

“Yes, I think I
’ll try the vanilla bean crème brulée. Dorian, hun, do you want anything?”

“No. I need to maintain my figure. Our wedding is only two months away.”

He looked disappointed, but said nothing as he handed the menu to our server.

“Yes, the wedding.
Calida, Dorian tells me you agreed to be the maid of honor. She wasn’t sure since you two haven’t talked much.”

“I
’m sorry. What? Why would you want me? I assumed you would have someone, you know, that you actually liked,” Calida blurted out in shock.

Dorian shifted in her seat
, attempting to keep the contempt for her sister from showing on her face.

“Oh, you silly girl.
Why ever would you think I didn’t like you? You’re my sister after all.  We may have had our minor disagreements over the years, but we’re family. There’s nothing more important than family.”

Calida had a hard time keeping the look of shock off her face. Janet returned with our dessert selections
, giving Calida a chance to compose herself. Clearly, the idea of being her sister’s maid of honor wasn’t appealing to her. Picking up one of the forks, I cut into the dessert and fed it to her.

“How is it?” I asked.

She licked her lips and smiled. “It’s not as delizioso as the dessert from the Russian Tea Room, but it’s still very mouthwatering.”

“Remembering our Italian lessons I see.”

“Some things are worth remembering,” she replied, scooping up a forkful to feed to me.

“Mmm, yes good, but not as
good,” I commented, watching as her eyes followed the path of my tongue as it licked the stray crumbs from my lips.

She leaned forward, giving me a light kiss at the corner of my mouth. “You missed one,” she whispered.

“We have a wedding to discuss if you two are quite finished.”

Dorian
’s annoying voice rang out, interrupting our moment. I was ready to take a steak knife and slit her throat where we sat.

“Dorian, it is more than looks that would make a person question if you and Calida are related,” I commented dryly.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It isn
’t supposed to mean anything. It is simply a statement of fact,” I said, wiping my mouth with the linen napkin. “Now, your wedding, you were
asking
Calida to be your maid of honor.”

The rest of the evening Dorian was much more civil. She seemed to realize that s
he was fighting a losing battle so shifted gears by focusing on the plans for her wedding. I could tell Calida wasn’t thrilled about her role as maid of honor but agreed to do it for her sister anyway.

***

“Would they have liked me?” I asked while I lazily traced the outline of the tattoo on Seth’s chest.

“Who?”

“Your parents.”

After sitting through the dinner with Dorian discussing her upcoming wedding, it got me thinking about the fact that Seth could possibly meet my parents.

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I was curious to know if I was the kind of girl you would want to take home to meet your family.”

Seth brushed the hair out of my face then let his finger trace down my jawline. “My parents are dead, so why does it matter?”

I shrugged feeling
, a little disappointed that he didn’t want to answer the question. “Guess it doesn’t,” I replied, attempting to move away from him, but his arm tightened around me, keeping me in place.

“Apparently it does, or you wouldn
’t have asked. So, why does it matter to you?”

“I was just curious okay? I don
’t really know what your parents were like; you don’t talk about them much. When you do, it’s more a dry retelling of facts rather than talking about them. You don’t have any pictures around of them. I’ve wondered who you looked like, who you act like. I’ve wondered what your childhood was like. But I’m sorry for being curious about you and the people that brought you into this world.” I pushed away from him, wanting to go to sleep and be done with it. “I won’t ask again,” I said, settling into my pillow.

“Are you worried your parents won
’t like me?” he asked, kissing the back of my shoulder.

 
I flipped back over to look at him, sighing heavily. Nothing was ever straightforward with him and as much as I wished it was different, it was one of many things I had resigned myself to accepting about him.

“I
’m sure my parents will love you. You are the kind of guy girls want to bring home to meet the family. I guess with the whole wedding thing and you coming, that is if you want to come and spend time with my family, got me thinking. I didn’t know it would be a big deal to ask. I just feel like there is still so much I don’t know about you. And you don’t want to share it with me.” I couldn’t help but to sound a little disheartened.