Possession (9 page)

“Because… I haven’t had many friends…and I
like my friends pleasant and satisfied. Not growling at me every
time I walk into the room.”

“Nothing personal,” he muttered.

“I know. But seriously, go have sex. Do it
soon!”

He had to laugh. “I’ll take that under
advisement, pet.”

“Good! I’m going to go play with the money
now.” Alana breezed out as abruptly as she’d come in.

She’s nuts, but she does have a point.

Chapter 9

Wednesday, October 31
^st
.
Halloween.

Catherine was told to pack everything she
needed to get ready for the evening in a bag, and meet the car
outside at two o’clock. She made sure she cleared her plate at
lunch in case she didn’t get to eat again until very late, and was
waiting on the steps promptly on the hour. The chauffeur picked her
up in the limousine.

They drove into London, stopping at a pretty
building in a nice part of town. Catherine was led up to an empty
flat. She had a moment of confusion, before others entered with
various things: a dressing table, adjustable chair, full-length
mirror, boxes of all sizes, and a food cart with beverages and
treats.

She recognized the seamstress that had worked
on her dress.

“Good afternoon, Miss Mitchell. The gown is
complete to your specifications. Let us do a last fitting in case
last-minute adjustments are needed?” She removed the lid on a large
box and lifted the dress up. “Magnificent, isn’t it?”

“Um, I need somewhere to change.” Catherine
said. The dressmaker pointed to a wardrobe screen set up behind
her. “Oh.”

She changed into the appropriate foundation
garments before the lady came back with the dress and helped her
step into it. She adjusted the ties in back, then directed
Catherine to come back out to the mirror and stand on the
pedestal.

“Mmm-hmm…” She circled her with a critical
eye. “Shoes, please.” They were brought instantly. “Perfect. Add
the jewels, and you will look like royalty.”

The gown was gunmetal gray silk, the bodice
constructed like a corset with hook-and-eye closures in front,
lacing in the back, and heavily beaded with seed pearls. The boning
in the bodice created noticeable cleavage. The intricate beading
bordered the top hem, running along each side of the closures down
the center to the floor-length hem and around the slight train. The
skirt split at knee level to reveal hidden layers. The rest of the
beading was in tones of silver to black to create a blossom pattern
on the bodice and train.

It was the most expensive thing Catherine had
ever put on her body in her life.

“It was a bit complicated to adjust the
length, but not so difficult in a week. Surprisingly comfortable,
yes?”

“Yeah… I can still breathe.”

The dressmaker nodded. “It is the new
flexible material for the stays. The boning holds its shape, but is
not nearly so rigid as in the past. Fashion need not be torture.
So, you’re happy with it?”

Catherine turned to face her, smiling. “Very
much so. It’s…wow. It’s too beautiful for me, but I’ll wear it
proudly!”

“I think it suits you just fine, Miss
Mitchell. Now, out of the dress! You need hair and make-up,
and…”

People instantly swarmed her. They helped her
out of the dress, wrapped her in a robe, and plopped her down in
the chair. She was primped head-to-toe in a whirlwind of activity.
Eating was allowed until they did her lipstick, so she nibbled on
little pastries and canapés.

She was nervous. She did want to make a good
impression that evening, pass the test of her training, but she
also had plans of her own. She couldn’t pass up on the chance of
escaping while she was already in London.

Her bag was packed with everything she
couldn’t bear to part with, buried at the bottom under her things
for tonight. She just had to get away from Julian and make it into
daylight where he couldn’t follow, while they were still in
London.

“Miss Mitchell… Wake up, dear. It’s time to
get you dressed.”

Catherine blinked. “Sorry…” It was easy to be
lulled into a daze when someone was playing with your hair.

The vision in the mirror was so removed from
the girl that arrived there four weeks ago. Her hair had been
slicked back from her face, then twisted and curled into an
intricate bundle at the back of her head, crystal pins holding it
all together. Her eyes were defined in black, with smoky shades of
charcoal and lavender blended up toward her brows. Plum-pink color
graced her lips, with a touch of gloss in the center for
dimension.

She was handed the beaded earrings that match
her dress.

Back behind the screen to discard her robe,
she adjusted her bustier, then stepped into the gown. The ribbons
were cinched a bit tighter this time, prompting her to glare at the
assistant.

“Your shoes, miss?”

Catherine lifted the hem of her dress and
stepped into one, then the other stiletto sandal. Simple black
satin. Once fastened, she walked out to face the crowd.

“Well?” she asked, turning for the
assembly.

“You’ll stop traffic,” Alana said.

“Alana! What are you doing here?”

“Just making sure you’re on time. Julian was
anxious, not that he’ll admit to it. Ready?”

“Just have to grab my cloak and my bag,” she
replied.

The long black velvet cloak hid her dress
from view until the perfect moment, as well as providing warmth on
this chilly evening.

They rode down in the elevator alone.

“You know, I haven’t even asked what we’re
seeing,” Catherine mused.

“Probably something morbid and dull. I prefer
the American Halloween, with its bow to capitalist gain. The
children really do make out with an excellent deal, except for the
potential razor blades and poison in the candy.”

“My parents took me trick-or-treating every
year when I was a kid. It was fun.”

The limousine was waiting out front.

“Is he in there?” she asked.

“Oh, just go! You have to see him sometime
tonight. Really, you humans and your petty arguments…” Alana
groused. She pushed Catherine through the door first.

The chauffeur opened the door as they came
out. Julian stood, wearing his leather coat over a black
tuxedo.

“Miss Mitchell. You look lovely this
evening.”

She nodded in acknowledgement. “Thank you,
sir.” She handed her satchel to the chauffeur, who placed it in the
trunk, and offered her gloved hand to Julian.

He kissed it, then helped her into the
car.

“Play nice, you two,” Alana said cheerfully,
then vanished.

Once inside the car and moving along, neither
knew what to say first. Catherine finally swallowed her pride and
asked what they were seeing.

“’Classical Music for Halloween’. I kid you
not. They’ve put together a ghost story to scary music, or
something.”

“Well, there are several works that fit in
tone. Was
Faust
too expensive to produce? I’d think it would
be perfect for Halloween. A moral tale warning against deals with
the devil?”

“I think Mephistopheles gets a bum rap in
that one. Soddin’ humans screwed it up for themselves.”

She rolled her eyes. “I take it you saw it
after you were turned?”

“Not the first time. Took my mum one year
while I was still in university.”

“Well, it’ll be nice to listen to music. I
used to play the violin.”

“Did you, now?”

She nodded. “In elementary school. I
was…
competent
. Always struggled with the fingering. I didn’t
get very far with piano for the same reason.”

“Your parents pushed you in the Arts?”

“I wouldn’t say ‘pushed’. They encouraged us
in all subjects. They both worked in education.”

“Us? I thought you were an only child.”

“Me and my foster brother. They placed him
with another family when my parents were killed. My grandmother was
willing to take him in, but Child Services thought two teenagers
would be too much for her,” she replied. “Did you have any
siblings?”

Julian shook his head. “None that lived past
infancy. I was the last.”

“That must have been hard for your
family.”

He shrugged. “Probably was. It was Victorian
England, so we certainly never spoke of it. They were just
notations in the family Bible. It was the way it was. Pregnancy was
a dangerous affair, back then. I got you something.” He fished into
his pocket, pulling out a velvet box. “Alana told me the color of
your dress, so I thought these would suit it well.” He opened the
jewelry box to reveal a choker of South Sea pearls.

Catherine’s eyes widened to comic
proportions. “Please tell me you didn’t buy this just for
tonight!”

He scoffed. “Oh, heaven’s no! They’re on
loan. If you don’t want to wear it--”

“No…they’re beautiful. I’d be honored. Um,
will you help me?” She unclasped her cloak, letting it slip off her
bare shoulders, and turned her back to him.

He took the necklace out of the box and
unhooked the clasp, then draped it around her neck.

“Is this too tight?” he murmured, his breath
tickling the fine hairs at her nape.

“It’s fine,” she replied, actively trying not
to shiver. He fastened the clasp on a link and withdrew back to his
seat.

“Let’s see how it looks.”

She straightened in her seat, angling to face
him. The choker was very simply designed--just two rows of black
pearls in graduated sizes, the largest centered in the hollow of
her throat. With the size and rarity of the pearls, it had to be
worth at least $20,000.

“Exquisite,” he said, looking into her
eyes.

She felt a warm flush creep up her neck as
she re-fastened the cloak just beneath the pearls. The heat in his
gaze was exactly why she didn’t want to reveal the dress until they
were in public. Why had she let Alana encourage her to pick
something so revealing? They’d done very well the past few days
not
having any lusty, tense moments, and now he was looking
at her like
that
again.

Thankfully, the limo pulled up to the venue
at that moment. Julian exited first, then held out his hand for
her.

“Milady.”

“Thank you.”

She looked around at the other arrivals, most
of them middle-aged or elderly couples dressed to the nines.

“Is it always this formal?” she asked.

He waved it off. “It’s a thing. There’s the
concert, and the party, and a charity auction…just an excuse to
play ‘Who’s got the biggest checkbook’. You’ll probably see a few
Hollywood types, too.”

“
Oh.
How’d you get in, then?”

He smirked. “I have my sources.” They passed
through the doors and reached the coat check. He stopped and looked
at her expectantly.

“Oh…yes…” Catherine set her purse on the
counter and took off the cloak, passing it carefully to the clerk,
who handed her a numbered ticket.

“Sir?” he said, nodding to Julian’s coat.

“I’m fine, mate.” He turned to her and
released a low-pitched whistle. “
Well
worth the wait, love.
Remind me to tip your dressmaker.” His eyes blatantly raked over
her form.

“Yes, fine. Can we find our seats,
please?”

He winked, and offered her his arm. She
accepted, not looking at him.

There were whispers in the halls as they
headed up to their box. Everyone wanted to know “who the striking
couple was” and “where they came from”.

Julian soaked it up, while Catherine squirmed
inside. She didn’t like being the center of so much attention. She
let out a sigh of relief when they finally reached their box and
the attendant checked their tickets.

There were two rows of four seats each.
Julian guided her to the front center two and took off his coat,
laying it on the seat next to him.

“That thing’s pretty precious to you,
huh?”

“Killed someone for it,” he replied,
unashamed. They were high above the orchestra, but could see the
entire stage. “Would you like a pair of those little optics?”

“Oh, opera glasses? No, it’s not necessary.
Thank you.” She smoothed her dress under her and carefully sat
down, feeling his eyes on her cleavage. “Are you going to do that
all night?” she quietly snapped.

“What?”

She glared at him. “Stare at my breasts. I
can feel it.”

“Hey, you chose the dress, kitten. I’m just a
man.”

“You…! God, you’re insufferable!”

“And you’re even prettier when you’re angry,”
he countered, his eyes flickering to her heaving bosom.

She made a sound of disgust and stood to move
to another seat. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back
down.

“Careful, pet. I didn’t want to alarm you,
but there’s every possibility Lorcan has someone watching you
tonight. Might want to think about how you behave.”

“You
told
him we’d be here?”

“He did say he’d check in on your progress,
and this was the nearest event I could book to test your training.
Maybe they won’t watch you up here, but there will definitely be
someone at the party. Whose side do you want to be on at the end of
the night?”

The message was clear: be the perfect little
lady, or get turned over to Lorcan. Her eyes narrowed into angry
slits.

“I hate you,” she whispered.

“Maybe. But you need me. We all have our
crosses to bear. So, be a good girl, hmm?”

She nodded. He let go, and she leaned back in
her seat, tears pricking her eyes.

Just get through tonight.

***

He took no satisfaction in smelling her
tears, but the warning was necessary. For one, there
could
be a spy out there tonight, though he hadn’t talked directly to
Lorcan since the night he dropped Catherine in Julian’s lap. For
another, he suspected there was a plan whirring about that sharp
brain of hers, and she needed to be on top form to execute it. It
was best for both of them if he didn’t make it easy for her to
go.