The Touch Series: Initiation (3 page)

              He looked down at the floor as he seriously thought about it. “It's a long story really. He has just always felt the need to be around others at all times and to help others financially. Before he was adopted by his wealthy vampire family in Romania, he struggled to survive as his human father neglected him and his ill human mother couldn't work. Then his vampire family practically saved him and took more than good care of him. So, I suppose you can say that he feels that he needs to do the same for others. I know that all of this sounds improper  but he means well by all of it. He has paid for many girls' college educations, got them fantastic referrals for jobs, landed them high quality internships, and more.” He now looked at the bottle he was holding. “He wants girls to have what his biological mother never had. The opportunity to actually live. And not just live, as in walk and breathe, but live to experience the world at the highest level possible.”

              I took in everything that he said and suddenly saw Josef in a different light.

              “It also never hurts to have a lot of girls around when we have plans to have fun.”

              At that, I threw my pillow at him which he caught without flinching. And thankfully, he laughed.

                                                                                                  ***

              Having breakfast with my family always felt like the same scene that played over and over again. It was the same setting, same food and same conversation.             

              I picked at my omelet. I couldn't eat, especially since today was the day I was going to find out  if I made the cut for the group. I felt nervous because I didn't know whether I even wanted it even if I was offered a spot. I glanced over at Nicholas who was eating his waffle while staring out the window towards the forest.

              “What's wrong Quinn? You've barely touched your food.” I looked up to find my mother staring at me with concerned eyes.

              I waved her concern off. “I'm just feeling a bit sick. I have a quiz today  and I'm not feeling very confident about it.”

              My dad looked up from his newspaper to look at me. “Did you study?”             

              I rolled my eyes as I looked down at my plate. “Yes”

              He looked back at his paper. “Well then you should have no problem with it.”

              If only he knew what was really going on...

              My phone buzzed as my mother opened her mouth to say something. I looked down to see a text from Artie.

              You made the final eight :) You have a meeting with the group leader  at our house today.               Can you make it at 7?

              Surprisingly, I beamed at his text. I couldn't believe that I made it! Why me? Maybe Artie forced him to... All of a sudden I felt more queasy. “May I be excused to go? I rather get to my class early to go over my notes some more.”

              “Sure, have a good day today”. My mother gave me a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Instead, I found sadness in them. I ignored it though. She was always pretty dramatic over many things.

              I kissed Nicholas on the forehead before I headed out the kitchen.

                                                                                                  ***

              As soon as I got on campus and many miles safely away from the prying ears  of my parents, I called Artie.

              “Hey, I'm guessing you got good news today?” I could practically hear him smile. I didn't want to kill his mood but I simply had to know.

              “Artie... is this what he wanted or did you force him to because you knew why I needed the money...” I tried to keep my voice composed the entire time as I headed towards my class.

              He answered quickly without hesitation. “No way! Trust me. Josef always chooses for himself. He wouldn't waste his time taking you on if he truly didn't want to. Actually...he fought with Jacob to get you in the group.”

              “What?” I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I couldn't stop smiling either. But wait, who the hell was Jacob? “Wait, who is Jacob?”

              “He was the other guy in the room. He's Josef's main wing man you can say.” He snorted on the other end. “He likes to be involved in the process because he wants to make sure he likes the girls as well. Unfortunately, Josef tends to allow him to poison his head. But this time he didn't.”

              “Oh, wow. Well... I mean, Jacob sounds like he sucks... but that was really nice of Josef.” I found my seat in the classroom and practically melted into it.

              Artie cleared his throat. “Mr. Constane.”

              “Oh, yeah sorry.”

              “Quinn?”

              “Yes?”

              His voice was full of concern at this point. “Don't look into this too far. He doesn't see girls in his club like that.”

              I felt my cheeks go full-on warm. “Like what?”

              “He doesn't see them romantically.” He sighed again and began to whisper. “Don't end up fancying him, okay? It won't be reciprocated and you'll get hurt. And then I'll blame myself.”

              “Okay number one: don't say 'fancying'. This isn't England. Two: I don't see him that way and I won't. I just thought it was nice of him to fight Jacob over me. That's all. Geez.” If Artie knew how I really felt about his friend, he would lose it. Best to keep it entirely to myself. Though I enjoyed talking about guys to Artie. He was always cool like that and I always went to him for advice. He's like the best gay friend  who wasn't gay at all. Not even a little bit gay.

              “Okay, good... And I thought you liked everything about England? You once told me that you always wished to live in a Richard Curtis film.”

              “I do. I was just teasing you. Get with the program, Artie.”

              He laughed before saying bye and wishing me luck later tonight.

              Tonight. I was going to see
him
again. I don't know why but I couldn't stop smiling all day on campus.

                                                                      CHAPTER four

              The cab drive to Josef's and Artie's was an experience of its own. We drove into Pine Glen which was a prestigious neighborhood that was heavily gated. And all of the homes were stunning. Many of them were situated on elevated hills and the lights inside the homes illuminated the night.

              We finally arrived at the house and it was breath-takingly beautiful. A massive red-brick mansion with ivy covering most of it. Red roses covered most of the front lawn. As I stepped out of the cab, it took all of my might not to run around and dive into the mesmerizing red pool of flowers. I certainly didn't want to come across like some weirdo and someone who definitely didn't belong in this neighborhood.

              I walked up to the front door and looked over the front of my floral baby-doll dress and checked that my bun was in place before I rang the bell. Once I did, a tall man in a suit opened the door. He gestured for me to come in without saying anything. I smiled at him before I stepped in.

              It was just as beautiful inside as it was from the outside. White marble floors with white walls and red oak wood panels circulated the hall. There was a mosaic on the cathedral ceiling. And the grand staircase was carpeted in red. There was certainly an element of romance within the house.

              A tall, red-head woman walked towards me with a stern look. She looked about near her late 20's and was impeccably dressed in a maroon top and skirt. “Name.”

              “Hello, my name is Quinn Turner.”

              “I'm Gwen Lance. I will be your group leader and supervisor while you are under contract. Follow me.”

              She led me to another massive room that was filled with the other girls that made the cut. Along the walls were tables of food and drinks. In the middle of the floor was a row of seats. Eight of them.

              “Please help yourselves to the refreshments provided. In five minutes, you will take your seats and we will begin.” Gwen promptly walked out of the room, leaving a chill in the air.

              I helped myself to a glass of champagne and made my way to a group of three girls who were giggling about something.

              “Hi, I'm Quinn.” They all looked my way and quickly walked away towards the bar area. “Okay, it was nice to meet you”.  Over my shoulder stood the other four girls who didn't seem friendly either.

              This was definitely not going to be a place to make friends.

              Gwen walked back into the room with stacks of paper in her arms. “Sit”

              We all sat down quickly as she passed out forms to each of us. “These are the non-disclosure agreements. You will have time to look over them tonight and officially decide if this is for you. If not, you know where the door is.” I quickly glanced around to see if others were affected by her rudeness but they weren't or at least they didn't show it.

              “Now, there are rules. Rules which every one of you must follow or you will be punished. By signing that form you agree to those terms. If you break three of them you will be immediately sent home. I am going to quickly give you a rundown of what will be expected of you and what Mr. Constance wants.

              Number 1: Never address him by his first name. It's Mr. Constane. Always.

              Number 2: When he is in your presence, speak when your are spoken to.

              Number 3: You will not be in his presence intoxicated or drugged in any way.

              Number 4: You will all be on your best behavior individually and when you are together. What                             you do affects him as well.

              Number 5: Do not touch him or make inappropriate gestures.

              Number 6: You will not flirt or misbehave with his friends or other company while under the               contract.

              And number 7: You will listen and follow everything he says.

              She looked down the row of chairs. “You have the next hour to go over your contracts and sign them tonight if you wish or take them home if you need more time. After that, you are free to have dinner and talk to one another.” She left us immediately to look over the contract.

              Nothing about it seemed unusual. Most of it was to ensure the protection of Josef's reputation and public life. Though there was one part that shot at me immediately:

              Under the permission of both parties involved (
Josef Constane
,
Quinn Turner
), a relationship               of blood feeding and/or any sexual encounters may occur if both parties comply with health and               sanitary regulations.

              I was confused. No, actually
confused
wouldn't be the right word to describe it at all! We were not allowed to touch him but something as intimate as sex may happen. And –
what? SEX?
I was panicking in my seat. I was told that this was not the relationship that would take place. That was definitely going to be my main question and
concern
when I meet with him tonight.

             
I decided that I needed to take a walk to ease the apprehension I was feeling. We wouldn't start our one-on-one meetings for another 20 minutes. And I desperately needed to kill the time.

              I asked one of the waiters where the restroom was and she kindly gave me directions. I walked into a hall and tried to remember the directions. Of course knowing me, I got lost after a minute. I decided to take a risk and take another corner down the hall. I  circled around the corner to find an open door which led to a bright white room filled with statues and paintings on the walls. It was like a mini art museum and I loved it. Artie did mention once that Josef liked to collect pieces but this was something else entirely. I walked up to a beautiful watercolor of a crying woman surrounded by dead flowers and weeds. It was dark and sad but beautiful at the same time. I inched forward to try to read out the artist's name on the bottom right corner but I couldn't read it properly. I scanned the rest of the room and noticed a similar theme along most of the paintings;  romantic dread. I wondered if there was a personal reason or connection to it all for Josef. I suddenly heard a group of men talking. I looked up back at the door to find Artie and a group of men walking down the hall. Josef was in the middle of the group and when he saw me he no longer focused on what the man next to him was saying. He looked as if he was surprised to see me and after a long glance he turned to Artie who followed his gaze to find me. Artie came quickly towards me looking unhappy.