***
By the end of the day, Mina was spitting fire. She’d followed Tristan and Rachel on their second date to the mall. She hid behind a clothes rack and watched as Tristan purchased Rachel a beautiful dress that was apparently for some party they were attending that weekend. Mina chewed on her thumbnail, feeling jealous. She wished Tristan would buy her a pretty dress and take her to a party. Darn it! She passed the couple by, unnoticed, and managed to swipe Tristan’s credit card from his pants pocket without him noticing. An evil grin stretched across her face. Mina looked back at the couple, and held up the card triumphantly. Now it was time for a little revenge.
Mina went on a vindictive shopping spree using Tristan’s credit card after that. She purchased herself an entire new wardrobe consisting of: dresses, shirts, pants, jeans, boots, and designer handbags. She spent thousands on designer names without batting an eye. As a billionaire heiress Mina was used to buying things without even looking at the price tag.
Mina’s mother, Lorelai Savant, was conceited and self-centered, and ignored her family in pursuit of her own hobbies, which included going to the spa, gym, shopping, or hiring male strippers to entertain her while her husband was away on business trips. Mina’s father, Adrian Savant, was always busy with his responsibilities as CEO of La Boulangerie Savant. Because of their lack of love and attention, Mina rebelled by shoplifting at stores and having her parents pay the owners off, going out clubbing with her friends almost every night, and doing drugs occasionally. The only thing she didn’t do that was ‘bad’ was act promiscuous and that was only because she only had eyes for her brother, Tristan.
When Mina was seven-years-old she used to tell Tristan ‘I’m going to grow up one day to be your bride!’. Mina was no longer a little girl, but a young woman who wanted Tristan to finally notice her.
With her hands full of shopping bags, Mina pondered what she should buy next. She was surprised that she hadn’t managed to max out Tristan’s credit card yet. I wonder if there’s enough on here to buy a car? Teehee. A cute convertible maybe? Oh, I’m bad.
Decision made, Mina left the mall and walked over to the BMW car dealership that happened to be next door. Mina entered the dealership and began to look around at the gorgeous cars. A car salesman approached Mina and told her about a great deal for a 2008 BMW 128i for twenty-four thousand dollars. The car was silver with a black leather interior. It was pre-owned but came with a three-year warranty.
Mina ran her hand over the hood of the car lovingly. “It’s perfect. I’ll take her.”
“Great.” The car salesman ushered Mina into his office and had her sign a contract that stated Mina was paying for the car all at once, and that the purchase of the car was nonrefundable because the car was ‘on sale’. Mina knew that even though she signed this contract she legally had three days of ‘buyer’s remorse’, which meant she’d have to keep her new baby a secret from Tristan for three days, and then there would be nothing he could do about it.
Mina had the salesman run Tristan’s credit card and she crossed her fingers behind her back. The purchase was processed without a hitch. She signed Tristan’s name (she’d already practiced his signature before). Mina smiled as she set down the pen. Take that brother…that’s what you get for fawning over Miss Ice Queen instead of me.
The rest of the week went by uneventfully at Dark Heaven until Saturday arrived. That night was Epic Taste Gourmet Magazine’s Party. The monthly magazine featured lots of recipes, articles about popular restaurants, bakeries, and chocolate shops in the city, and contained eye-catching photos of food, chocolates, and novelty cakes. As the editor-in-chief of Epic Taste, Rachel wrote several of the articles, but she also had a group of skilled writers working for her to get the latest gourmet scoop.
After work, Tristan showered and got dressed for the party. He drove his Corvette to a flower shop to get Rachel some flowers before he went to pick her up at her place. Tristan pulled his convertible right in front of the florist and got out of the car. He entered the shop and began to look around at all of the flowers that were available to put in arrangements. One of the floral designers went up to Tristan to offer her assistance. Together they chose the flowers to make a beautiful bouquet for Rachel that consisted of white and pink stargazer lilies.
The floral designer rang up the bouquet at the cash register. “Your total will be fifty dollars, Sir. Something for your girlfriend?”
Tristan took out his credit card and handed it over to the young woman. “Something like that. Charge it.”
The young woman smiled as she swiped Tristan’s card. The card was declined so she swiped it again. She frowned and swiped it one last time. The brunette faced Tristan and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Sir, but your card…didn’t go through.”
“Didn’t go through?” Tristan scowled as he took the card back. That’s impossible. I have at least twenty-seven thousand in that account. Thanks to this past Valentine’s Day at Dark Heaven, which was a total success I managed to make that nest egg. There must be a problem with the card. “No worries, I’ll just pay cash.” Tristan took out his wallet and opened it up. He had sixty dollars left in cash. He handed the young woman the rest of his money and she gave him ten dollars change. Tomorrow he would contact the bank and find out what the problem with his card was.
Tristan took the bouquet, thanked the floral designer with a wink, and left the shop. He got back inside of his convertible and continued his way to Rachel’s apartment building. The chocolatier arrived a few minutes later, parked out front, entered the building, and made his way to her apartment. Tristan took a deep breath before he knocked on the door in order to steel his nerves. Yes, even the Chocolate Sex God got nervous every once in a while.
“Coming!” Tristan heard Rachel’s voice from inside.
In less than a minute the door was opened to Rachel standing in the doorway and looking absolutely stunning in a slinky, silver-blue, silk dress that was backless and floor length. A pair of white, high-heeled shoes were on her feet and she held a sparkly, silver clutch. His gaze lingered over her curves as he admired her appearance. He could feel himself get turned on at the mere sight of her.
Rachel took the opportunity to check Tristan out as well. Tristan was wearing a black suit with a silver-blue tie that matched the color of Rachel’s dress perfectly. There was something so sexy about a man in a perfectly tailored suit. The chocolatier stood gawking at Rachel for a moment before she cleared her throat to get his attention. “Ahem, see something you like?” Rachel asked teasingly.
Tristan was snapped out of his stupor and quickly dragged his gaze up to look her in the eyes. “Yeah, you look amazing. Here. These are for you.” Tristan handed her the flowers he’d kept hidden behind his back.
Rachel took the bouquet of flowers and her lips twitched as she stared down at them for a moment. “They’re pretty. No one’s ever gotten me flowers before. Thank you. Please come on in.” Rachel stood back and waved Tristan inside.
“I find that hard to believe.” Tristan said as he entered her apartment. “The men around you must be a bunch of cowards.”
“Maybe he is. I mean, maybe they are.” Rachel quickly covered up her slip. “I’m going to go put these in some water and then we can go. Please make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure thing.” Tristan agreed as he took a seat on one of the couches in Rachel’s living room. That’s when he noticed that her smart phone was lying on the coffee table. Curious, Tristan swiped his finger across its screen to reveal Rachel’s desktop. The desktop was the photo of a young man with a crew cut of brown hair, intelligent green eyes, and a wide smile of gleaming white teeth. Heh…I wonder who this is? Probably the guy Rachel likes.
“Ready.” Rachel called as she came back into the living room. Tristan stood nervously, feeling guilty that he’d snooped around on her phone. Rachel walked over, grabbed her phone, and didn’t notice that it was on the
desktop. Tristan let out a relieved breath and he watched as she put her phone inside of her clutch. “Let’s go.”
“Right.” Tristan agreed. Twenty minutes later, Tristan was pulling up to the tall, impressive, glass and steel office building where Epic Taste magazine had its offices. Tristan parked his convertible, and they made their way into the building. “I hope you brought business cards, Tristan. I invited a lot of important people from the gourmet community: food and restaurant critics, professional chefs, chocolatiers, patissiers, caterers, and my entire staff of writers and editors. Oh, and some of the writers and editors from magazines like: Gourmet, Saveur, The Art of Eating, Food and Wine, Cook’s Illustrated, Art Culinaire, Gastronomica, Fine Cooking, Cooking Light, and Bon Appetit.”
Tristan let out a whistle. “Looks like you’ve got la crème de la crème of the gourmet food community coming to your party, babe. I’m impressed.”
Rachel reached out and straightened Tristan’s tie for him. “Took you long enough. I also have some very special guests tonight that I think will surprise you, Tristan.” She smoothed her hand down over his tie.
Tristan raised an eyebrow at Rachel. “Special guests? Tell me.”
Rachel shook her head as she removed her hand from his chest. “Nope. It’s going to be a surprise.”
Tristan pouted, wondering just who Rachel could have possibly invited. For some reason he thought of the name ‘Rebecca Thorn’. Rebecca was a popular blogger and trendsetter who had a blog called ‘Gourmet Dessert Trends’. She reviewed the most popular bakeries and chocolatiers in the city and let her followers know when new products were out as well as reviewing them. Rebecca was also rumored to be a beauty.
Tristan and Rachel rode the elevator to the appropriate floor, stepped out into the hall and made their way to Epic Taste’s offices. They entered and Tristan noted that the entire office floor had been tastefully decorated for the party. Most of the guests were inside of the large conference room, where a bar, DJ, and buffet table had all been set up.
Rachel led Tristan into the conference room and as they entered arm in arm all eyes seemed to fall upon them. The magazine editor tightened her hold on Tristan’s arm and this was the only clue she gave Tristan that she was in fact a little nervous.
“Hey, no need to be nervous, babe. You’re the most beautiful woman in this room.” Tristan whispered, letting his hot, minty breath waft over her ear. She shivered at the sensation. “In fact…you look good enough to eat. If you want to skip this party and go somewhere more private…we can.” Tristan nibbled on Rachel’s ear playfully.
Rachel pushed Tristan away from her and gave him a stern look. “Can’t you control your libido for five minutes?”
Tristan shrugged. “Not really. If the average man thinks about sex a few times a day - I think about sex all the time.” The chocolatier boldly admitted.
Rachel rolled her eyes at the incubus but then she found herself smiling. She slapped his arm and actually giggled. “You are incorrigible!”
“So I’ve been told.” Tristan smirked.
All of the young men in the room - including those who worked for Rachel - were all looking at Rachel in shock and with hearts in their eyes since they’d never seen Rachel smile before. She was known as the Ice Queen of Gourmet. Those who worked for Rachel considered her cold, scary, unapproachable and intimidating. But now Rachel was giggling and smiling like a blushing maiden.
Tristan could feel the heated looks Rachel was getting and continued to smirk. Mission accomplished. Now where is he? Tristan scanned the conference room to see if he could find the young man that was Rachel’s cell phone desktop. He spotted the young man surrounded by a group of his fellow coworkers. His green eyes were on Rachel and he had this astonished expression on his face. Good stuff. “Rachel, why don’t you introduce me to your employees.” Tristan suggested slyly.
“That’s a good idea.” Rachel agreed and they began to head in the young man’s direction. However-
Someone stepped directly in their path. Tristan blinked, not able to believe just who he was seeing in front of him. “Holy crap, Raphael!” The chocolatier blurted as he took a step back. What the hell was Raphael doing there?
Raphael was dressed in a silver-gray suit with a matching vest and pants, and a pair of shiny dress shoes. The jacket had black lapels and the tie Raphael was wearing had a black and silver geometric pattern. His snow-white hair was pulled back into a smart ponytail lending a rich, intellectual air about him.
Physically, Raphael looked to be in his late thirties, but his soulful eyes made him appear much older. Tristan knew the Archangel was thousands of years old in reality. Tristan was afraid of Raphael, but he stood his ground. After all he had to protect Rachel! Tristan took a step forward before stepping between Rachel and Raphael. “Raphael. What are you doing here?”
Raphael arched a snow-white eyebrow at Tristan’s brave move, intrigued that the incubus was protecting his latest conquest. How quaint. “I’m not here for you, Tristan - this time. I’m actually here because I was invited by Miss Diamond, and I wanted to thank her for that invitation.”
Tristan stared back at Rachel in shock. “You invited him? Why?”
“He’s just opened up a chocolate shop in the city. He’s an up and coming chocolatier that’s quickly gaining renown, and I just had to meet him. I’m always interested in new and undiscovered talents, and in getting to promote them through Epic Taste. Just like how I want to promote you, Tristan.” Rachel explained.
Tristan gawked at Rachel in disbelief. “You have got to be kidding me.” He shifted his attention back to Raphael. “You opened up a chocolate shop? Why? So you could beat me at my own game? Like when you became a bartender in order to become Dante’s rival?” Tristan gazed into Raphael’s stormy eyes searchingly.
Raphael nodded once. “That’s exactly why I opened my chocolate shop, Tristan. So I can destroy you. My shop will become the most popular chocolate shop in New York City and blow Dark Heaven out of the water. All of the young women will go to my shop instead…and be freed from your sinister clutches.”
Rachel was looking back and forth between Tristan and Raphael. She could sense the tension between them. “Oh, so you two are rivals? I get it now. How exciting. What is the name of your shop, Raphael?”
“Cloud 9.” Raphael informed her.
Tristan snorted at the name. “How original.”
Raphael shot Tristan a glare. “My shop specializes in white chocolate creations.” The Archangel pulled out a business card and handed it to Rachel. “Please stop by for a free taste of what my shop has to offer, Miss Diamond.”
Rachel looked down at Raphael’s business card. The card was solid black with silver lettering on it, and the outline of a cloud surrounded the information on the card.
Cloud 9
Chocolate Shop
Owner Raphael Cloude
“Nice card.” Rachel complimented the angel. Raphael’s lip twitched, and he looked pleased by the compliment.
Tristan was unnerved by this new development. Apparently, Raphael intended to become his rival and not his executioner? Well, that was a start. Tristan shuddered as he thought back to how Raphael had flayed the flesh off his bones mercilessly.
Raphael’s lip twitched again as if he could sense the direction of Tristan’s thoughts. He leaned over and whispered in Tristan’s ear. “Don’t worry, I promised your stalker that I would not harm you - physically.”
“And why does her opinion even matter?” Tristan asked in an equally low voice.
“Because she is one of the select few humans that will one day judge the angels and the demons. She is one of the few females with a truly pure, good, innocent soul.” Raphael revealed with admiration in his tone.
Tristan glared back at Raphael. He didn’t like the idea that his stalker Coco had spoken to Raphael at all.
Raphael merely stared back and the tension continued to be thick between them. R
achel was looking back and forth between Raphael and Tristan curiously once more. She’d never seen Tristan act like this before. As if he might start exchanging blows with this man at any second. “So Rachel is he the ‘special’ guest you told me about?”
“Actually, no, it’s-” Rachel was saying. However-
Everyone in the conference room suddenly began murmuring to each other in low voices, pointing and gesturing while staring in one particular direction. Tristan, Rachel and Raphael all turned their attention towards whatever had grabbed everyone else’s attention as well. There standing in the doorway was Carmen.
“Carmen.” Tristan said in surprise.
Carmen looked amazing. She was wearing a strapless, orange-red dress that was sleek and floor-length. She had a pair of red high heels on her feet. Her black hair had been styled into a sophisticated, elegant updo. Curled tendrils escaped the do and framed her face. The singer’s lips were painted red and she had smoky eye shadow on. The orange-red of the dress nicely complimented the olive tones in Carmen’s Latina skin. She wore a diamond necklace and matching diamond earrings. It was no wonder all eyes were on her.
And when Tristan turned to look at Raphael to see what his reaction would be, he was surprised to see that Raphael’s attention was also riveted to Carmen. Carmen scanned the room and her gaze landed on Raphael. She smiled devilishly and approached him, swaying her hips in a sensual tease. Raphael almost smiled at her before he seemed to catch himself, and then he frowned.
Carmen continued to smile at him coyly until she was only a few feet away. But then instead of continuing her way to Raphael she simply passed him and approached a group of young men who were standing around the bar.
Tristan watched Raphael intently and was intrigued to note the flash of consternation that crossed the man’s face when Carmen simply ignored him and passed him by. The emotion was only there for a second but Tristan was sure he’d seen it.
All the men appeared thrilled that Carmen had decided to approach them, and instantly began flirt with her and make small talk. There were two men in the group, however, who stood out in comparison to the others. One of the men was tall at six-five and had muscles that couldn’t be concealed by the white chef jacket he was wearing. The chef looked a little like a thug with his sky-blue hair, razored sides, and silver, hoop piercings all along the outer shell of his ears. His eyes were a deeper blue than his hair, and for a second Tristan thought he saw flecks of gold in them.
Standing next to the blue-haired man was another individual with a powerful aura. He had chin-length, silky, blood-red hair, intelligent golden eyes, and was also wearing a chef’s jacket. The redhead was leaner than his blue-haired friend, and about an inch shorter. His skin was a golden-bronze color.
Gold eyes? Is one of them a demon? Tristan shuddered at the thought. Full-blooded demons were never very nice to him, with the exception of Dante of course. “Hey, Rachel, who are those guys?” Tristan nodded his head casually in their direction.
Rachel followed Tristan’s line of sight and recognition lit her eyes. “Ah, the man with the blue hair is Levi Devlin, also known as the Brawler Chef. He’s a new seafood chef that’s been gaining renown in California.”
“Brawler Chef? Why’s he called that?” Tristan couldn’t help but ask.
“Apparently, if anyone complains about his cooking or leaves food on their plates, Levi will literally throw the person out of his restaurant. Fights have also been know to erupt because of this.” Rachel explained but then waved her hand dismissively through the air as if this were no big deal. “The red-haired man is Ambrose Rune, also known as the Patissier Prince. Ambrose has been gaining attention recently for his baked goods and he’s also from California. Why? Would you like to be introduced?”
“Ah, no, that’s okay.” Tristan waved his hand in front of him quickly. Those guys are dangerous. I can sense it.
Ambrose offered to get Carmen a drink and when she agreed, he quickly went to fetch her a fruity red cocktail, returning to her side a minute later, and handing her the drink. Carmen smiled and thanked Ambrose as she took the drink. The singer began talking enthusiastically with all of the young men as if she knew who they were, but Tristan was pretty sure Carmen was meeting them all for the first time. As a half-succubus, Carmen had a way with men.
Raphael’s cold black and silver eyes had never left Carmen and he began to grind his molars as he watched the succubus flirting with those males. “If you’ll excuse me.” Raphael told Tristan and Rachel absently as he stalked towards Carmen with angry strides. Tristan gawked after Raphael in shock. Heh…maybe he does care.
***
Raphael made his way over to Carmen and grabbed her arm to spin her around to face him. “What are you doing here, female?” He demanded.
Carmen merely stared back at Raphael, unruffled, “I was invited.”
“Not that…what do you think you’re doing…now?” Raphael jerked his chin in the direction of the young men. He also glared at Levi and Ambrose a bit longer than the others.
“Well…that’s…” Carmen tapped her lower lip with her index finger thoughtfully. “Pretty obvious, isn’t it? I’m flirting with these young men while trying to decide which one I want to take home tonight to fu-”
“Silence!” Raphael snapped as he cut her off and dragged her away from the group of very disappointed looking young men. Ambrose had looked especially disappointed in particular. Raphael pulled the singer over into a corner and glared down at her. “I won’t allow you to sink your claws into any of the men here, succubus.”
Carmen’s brown eyes sparkled with mischief. “Oh, is that so? Then…you’re going to have to take responsibility for your actions. I need sex in order to survive, Raphael. If I don’t have sex tonight…I’ll die. So…what do you plan to do about that?”
Raphael sighed and smoothed a hand over his hair. “I…if you need to feed upon a man’s sexual energies then…you can feed from me. I offer you…my body, succubus.”
Carmen looked floored by Raphael’s offer before her expression turned sly and pleased. “Do you really understand what you’re saying, Raphael? Are you really willing to have sex with me again?”
Last Valentine’s Day, Tristan had given Carmen some chocolates so that she could seduce this stubborn male before her. She’d gone to the bar where he worked called Kahuna’s, and had fed him those chocolates. He’d instantly become aroused and she’d managed to seduce him easily.
In a haze of lust, passion and chocolate, Carmen had taken Raphael back to her place and they’d made love. She remembered being in a kind of trance, but Raphael had seemed the same way, as though he were barely aware of his actions, and driven only by his primal instincts. He’d kissed her roughly, licked and nipped down the flesh of her neck, and made love to her. She remembered crying out in pleasure at his ferocity and in the possessive way he’d taken her body. It had felt like a dream.
However, once the fog of lust that had been induced by the chocolates began to clear and Raphael had come to his senses, he’d immediately become disgusted by his actions. So disgusted in fact that he’d fled to the bathroom and thrown up!
Carmen was half-succubus and used to being a seductress - a tempting, irresistible woman that no man could refuse, no man could deny. All men desired her.
But then, Raphael had vomited after having sex with her.
It had been a huge blow to her ego, and she’d barely recovered from it. Until she’d discovered from Tristan that Raphael was actually an ancient Archangel with a deep hatred towards demons who were his greatest enemies.
Carmen had learned that Raphael had not been disgusted by Carmen necessarily, but rather by what she was - half demon. This revelation had given Carmen renewed hope. If she could somehow work her way around his prejudice and worm her way into his heart, she could make the Archangel hers. She could make him fall in love with her.
“Of course I’m not willing.” Raphael’s cold voi
ce snapped Carmen back to the present. “But I will take responsibility for my actions, as I have said. We will have sex. Nothing more.”
The man acted like Carmen was taking him to the guillotine, not seducing him for a night of wild and crazy sex. She pouted. Well, his cold-fish reaction would have to do - for now. “We’ll just have to see about that. Now won’t we?” Carmen purred as she grabbed Raphael’s tie and began to lead him away from the party like a dog.
The singer expected him to resist her, but for some unfathomable reason he allowed her to do this. All of the young men gave Raphael envious looks and Carmen thought she saw Raphael puffing his chest up proudly. That’s right, boys. This one is mine. Carmen thought to herself.
What the hell am I doing? Raphael thought as he left the party. Am I really going to have sex with this succubus again? I must be a masochist. But the thought of Carmen with any of those men is…disagreeable. I’d rather suffer through this than see her leave here with another male. Another victim.
***
“Hey, Rachel, thanks for inviting me.” Came a female voice with a thick southern accent.
Tristan and Rachel both turned their attention to a stunning redhead that was dressed in fashionable, trendy clothes. She was wearing a black silk blouse, a black leather jacket with a faux fur collar, a knee-length skirt that had an art deco flower print pattern on it, and a pair of black ankle boots. A scarf was fashionably draped around her neck. Her pale green eyes glittered with intelligence and Tristan found the freckles across her nose to be endearing.
“Ah, Rebecca, I’m glad you could make it.” Rachel’s face lit up at the sight of the young woman. “Allow me to introduce my date - Tristan Savant.”
“I know who he is.” Rebecca said in a husky voice giving Tristan an admiring glance as she twirled a strand of her long red hair around one of her index fingers absentmindedly. “I’m a regular at Dark Heaven.”
Tristan looked her over and indeed recognized her. So this is the blogger Rebecca Thorn. Her offered her a warm smile. “Ah, yes, I recognize you too.” Tristan nodded as he put out his hand for Rebecca to take. “It’s nice to formally meet you though, Rebecca.”
“Same here. And call me Becca.” Becca shook Tristan’s hand. She had a firm handshake.
“Becca has a very popular blog called Gourmet Dessert Trends where she blogs about the best bakeries and chocolates shops in the city. She decides what the latest trends are - what’s hot and what’s not. When men are about to give their girlfriends a present for Valentine’s Day or Christmas, they check her blog to see what is popular, so that they don’t make a mistake and end up in the dog house. She also gives reviews on new products and promotes those she likes.” Rachel explained as she tucked a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear carefully.
“So you’re Rebecca Thorn. I’ve heard of your blog actually. It sounds awesome.” Tristan admitted. “It must be fun making a living that way.”
“Yeah, well, I have to make a lot of sacrifices to be the number one dessert blogger in this city. For example, I have to go to the gym everyday to keep up this figure!” Becca explained as she ran her hands over her curves. “And let me tell you, it’s not easy. One bonbon has about a hundred calories and twenty minutes of running on a treadmill at six miles per hour burns about 229 calories. If I run for twenty minutes at eight miles per hour I’ll burn 299 calories.”
Tristan let his gaze slide over Becca’s curves. “And what a figure it is.”
Rachel slapped Tristan on the back of his head for his lewd comment.
“Down boy.” Becca laughed as she raked her eyes over Tristan’s lithe, muscular body in return. “You look like you work out? Do you work out too? Working out is very important to me, if you haven’t figured that out already.”
“Woof.” Tristan nodded. “Yes, I also take Savate and Capoeira classes.”
“We should all go to the gym sometime.” Becca suggested in a coy manner. She made sure to say ‘all’ which included Rachel, because, well, the woman was standing right there and obviously was Tristan’s date for the evening. Though she wasn’t too worried since according to the rumors floating around about Tristan Savant, there wouldn’t be a next date between him and Rachel.
“It would be my pleasure.” Tristan said agreeably.
At that moment, the green-eyed young man approached them and Tristan could tell that he was a little nervous. “Hey Rachel.”
Rachel turned to face the man and managed to offer him a small smile. Tristan told me that I need to smile more and that the way to a man’s heart is through a smile. “Hey Clint. Everyone this is Clint. He’s a writer. In fact, he writes several articles for my magazine about restaurants, and good places to travel to in order to experience good food. Clint, this is the blogger, Rebecca Thorn, and chocolatier, Tristan Savant.”
Clint shook hands with Becca first. “Nice to meet you.”
Becca’s green eyes sparkled. “It’s always nice to meet a fellow writer. Especially one so handsome as you.”
Clint reddened slightly before shaking hands with Tristan. “Nice to meet you, Sir.”
“Pleasure.” Tristan said as he shook the man’s hand and tightened his grip on purpose. “Rachel’s told me so much about you.”
Clint surprised Tristan by squeezing his hand back firmly and shot Rachel a surprised look. “Oh, really?”
“Yes…she thinks you’re amazing. Well…your writing is…or you? I forget which she said.” Tristan smiled silkily.
Rachel smiled, playing along. “Both.”
Clint coughed into his hand to hide his happiness at that comment. “I see. Wow…thanks Rachel.”
“It’s nothing but the truth.” Rachel said. “I don’t know what this magazine…well, I don’t know what I’d do without you, really.”
“Rachel was also telling me about how she had a new idea to discuss with you, Clint. What was it, Rachel? An article about Cloud 9?” Tristan questioned smoothly.
“Oh…that’s right. Would you mind having a drink with me to discuss my new idea?” Rachel asked Clint hesitantly, and tried to hide her shyness as she nibbled on her lower lip.
A heart-stopping smile bloomed across Clint’s face. “I would love to get a drink with you…and uh, discuss your idea too, of course.”
“Great.” Rachel looped her arm around Clint’s and gave Tristan a questioning look.
Tristan grinned easily and shooed her away. He also gave her a thumbs-up. Not too subtle. But whatever. This caused both Rachel and Clint to blush. The chocolatier watched as Rachel and Clint walked off together, and looked pleased by this outcome.
Becca was watching Tristan curiously and with unabashed interest. “So…what are you like a demonic cupid now?”
“Demonic cupid?” Tristan asked as his attention shifted back to Becca.
“There are some crazy rumors and urban legends about you, Tristan Savant.” Becca informed Tristan with a keen glint in her green eyes. “I’ve actually started some of those rumors myself.”
Tristan opened his mouth to respond but at that moment a group of people entered the conference room and drew Tristan’s attention. Tristan’s eyes widened, his jaw slackened, and the blood slowly drained from his face. “Father…” He hissed. What the hell were his father, stepmother and older stepbrother doing there? Crap.
Entering the conference room was none other than the Savant family. Adrian Savant, Tristan’s father and CEO of La Boulangerie Savant, was dressed in a slick, black suit with a dark-blue tie that matched the deep blue color of his intelligent eyes. The suit was well tailored and screamed money. Adrian was tall at six-four and his height lent to that intimidating aura and commanding presence of his. He had short, blonde hair and a square jaw with a little bit of stubble to give him a more rugged yet sophisticated appearance.
Tristan’s stepmother, Lorelai Savant, was a beauty. She was much taller than his real mother, Lilith, at six-one, and willowy. She was p
ale-skinned with long, straight black hair and her eyes were a sky-blue color. Lorelai was wearing a sky-blue evening gown that matched her eyes perfectly, and her jewelry was all diamonds set in platinum. She had a queen-like grace and air about her.
Tristan’s stepbrother, Dominik Savant, was tall at six-four, just an inch taller than Tristan but he still gave Tristan grief over it anytime they met. He had his father’s blonde hair, and mother’s sky-blue eyes. He was more muscular than Tristan but this was to be expected since Dominik was a professional kickboxer. He was wearing a dark blue Armani suit, silver tie and black dress shoes.
“What the hell are they doing here? They must be the surprise guests Rachel told me about.” Tristan began to look around the conference room for a way to escape. Unfortunately, his family was blocking the only exit.
“Hey, are you alright there, Sugar?” Becca asked concernedly, noticing Tristan’s panicked expression and how pale he’d gotten. “What is it? A psycho-ex girlfriend or something?”
“Not this time.” Tristan muttered as he noted the doors that led to the balcony. “I gotta go.” He said right before he ditched Becca and made his way stealthily towards the balcony.
Becca raised an eyebrow at his fast retreat. “I think he just ditched me.” She looked incredulous that that had actually happened. “I don’t like being ignored, Tristan Savant. Consider your challenge received loud and clear. You will be mine.”
Tristan let out a breath of relief once he’d made it outside to the balcony unnoticed. A feminine gasp was heard behind him. He was not alone. Tristan spun around and came face to face with-
A suspicious looking person dressed in a trench coat, dark sunglasses, and a fedora. The lapels of the jacket were pulled up to shadow the person’s face. The strange individual also had a pair of binoculars held in their hands.
“Hey, who the hell are you?” Tristan demanded as he stalked forward.
“Epp!” The person squeaked and tried to make a break for it. Oddly enough the person ran towards the balcony railing as if they planned to jump off of it, which was crazy. Tristan grabbed the back of the person’s jacket and ended up pulling it right off of the person while spinning them around at the same time, to reveal-
A young woman. She was wearing a strapless, knee-length party dress that was a pastel pink color. The bodice of the dress was covered in sparkly sequins, and the skirt part of the dress was made of sheer, chiffon layers. The dress looked delicate and fairy-like. And suddenly Tristan recognized this person for who they were. “Coco?”
“Darn it, I’ve been caught.” Issy sighed, and removed her fedora and sunglasses revealing her caramel-chocolate colored eyes, and multi-colored brown hair. “Yes, it’s me.”
Tristan gave Coco a confused look. “Why did you run from me? I already know you’re my stalker.”
Issy shrugged, blushing, and appearing nervous. “Habit…I guess. No one is supposed to actually know who their stalker is, you know? We’re supposed to be mysterious…one with the shadows. We’re never supposed to be seen by the person we’re stalking aka our target. I’ve broken ‘the rules’.” Issy explained worriedly as she wrung her hands together. “I’m going to get punished…”
Tristan tilted his head at her. “Punished?”
Issy nodded. “I belong to the Shadow Stalker Association. I joined them online. We’re a group of professional stalkers. Stalking is an art to us.”
“An art?” Tristan scoffed. “Stalking is dangerous. You could really hurt someone. Don’t you guys remember what happened to Princess Diana? Britney Spears? And other celebrities?”
“We’re not like those jerks! We have rules. That’s the entire point of the organization. Stalkers have become more and more common, but…the people they stalk are oftentimes put in danger. By joining the association you are ensuring that your target does not come to harm. Once you swear allegiance to the association you must abide by their rules…or else.”
“Is that so?” Tristan raised an eyebrow. “What are some of the rules?”
“The first rule of the Shadow Stalker Association is…” Issy leaned forward.
“Is?” Tristan prompted.
“Is that there is no Shadow Stalker Association.”
Tristan barked out a laugh. “Is that so?”
Issy smiled and continued. “Rule Number Two: A Shadow Stalker can never be seen by his/her target. Rule Number Three: A Shadow Stalker may never harm his/her target physically or mentally. Rule Number Four: A Shadow Stalker must protect his/her target if they are in danger, but still do their best not to be seen. Rule Number Five: A Shadow Stalker is allowed to take photos of his/her target from afar for their shrine, however, naked photos are not allowed, and photos of your target may not be uploaded to the Internet aka to facebook or myspace. Your photos can be put on a wall inside of your home. Rule Number Six-”
“There’s more?” Tristan asked feeling mind boggled. Issy gave Tristan an impatient look, which made the chocolatier raise his hands before him in a surrendering gesture. “Nevermind, do continue. I am curious about the rules. I was just surprised by how many there are.”
“Rule Number Six: A Shadow Stalker can collect items from his/her target that the target has thrown away in the trash. But a Shadow Stalker must never steal from his/her target. Rule Number Seven: A Shadow Stalker must dress accordingly - all in black, with a black trench coat, dark sunglasses and a fedora to hide their hair color. Rule Number Eight: A Shadow Stalker can pleasure themselves to thoughts/pictures of his/her target, but not in a public area while looking at the target from afar.
“Rule Number Nine: A Shadow Stalker must never send naked photos or gifts or letters to his/her target (this can cause the target mental anxiety). Rule Number Ten: A Shadow Stalker is not allowed to stalk a target that has been happily married. Rule Number Eleven: A Shadow Stalker can never physically touch his/her target without the target’s permission. Rule Number Twelve: GPS tracking of the target is allowed with the new Shadow Stalker app. However, listening and filming devices in the target’s home are not allowed. Rule Number Thirteen: A Shadow Stalker may not chase the target in a car. The target may notice and cause their target to get into a serious accident.”
“There are thirteen rules? Isn’t that a little unlucky?” Tristan asked wryly.
“Huh?” Issy blinked back at Tristan, not catching his meaning.
“Oh, come on, you know…thirteen is an unlucky number. The Last Super had thirteen attendants where Jesus revealed one of them would betray him. On Friday the thirteenth Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar and seized all their assets based on false accusations of heresy. And then there’s the unexplainable things that happen in an apartment building that has a thirteenth floor.” Tristan shuddered as he recalled some of the horror stories about people who had lived on the 13th floor.
Issy’s eyes grew large. “Oh, my God, I never thought of that. I’ll email the leader and point that out right away.”
“Who is the leader?” Tristan asked curiously.
“That information is classified…even though I don’t know the answer.” Issy shrugged.
Tristan stroked his chin as he gazed upon Issy thoughtfully. “So…you really are like my little guardian angel, aren’t you?”
Issy blushed. “No…I…” She waved her hand before her.
Tristan looked Coco over appreciatively. She was really beautiful in that feminine party dress. He felt bad that Coco hadn’t been able to actually be a part of the party.
“I’m just a pro stalker.” Issy puffed up her chest. “I’ve got advanced stalker skills.”
“Is that so? Like what?” Tristan asked, beginning to enjoy this odd conversation.
“Taking photos of my target without their knowledge.” Issy began to tick things off on her fingers. “Tracking my target without their knowledge. And being able to disappear from my target’s sight without them being able to figure out where I we
nt.”
“You have photos of me?” Tristan interrupted feeling strangely flattered. “How many?”
Issy hesitated before answering. “Hundreds…maybe more.”
Tristan took a step back. “You must have one hell of a facebook wall!”
“More like a literal wall of photos.” Issy muttered to herself before she continued more loudly. “I would never put photos of you up online without your permission.”
Tristan tapped his lower lip in thought before he shrugged. “I don’t mind if you put my photos up online. I give you permission.” He gave her a regal wave of his hand.
“You mean…you’ll let me make an online shrine to the urban legend of the Chocolate Sex God of New York City?” Issy asked and got right up in Tristan’s face. “I wonder how many facebook likes you could get.”
Tristan chuckled at her enthusiasm and nodded. “Sure babe. Knock yourself out. But I may want some form of payment.” He waggled his eyebrows at her.
“Payment?” Issy gulped as Tristan reached out and cupped her face with his hand.
“A kiss would make a nice down payment.” He began to lean forward.
Eeee! Issy’s heart began to thump wildly inside of her chest. Tristan was going to kiss her.
Tristan’s lips were a mere inch away from Issy’s before he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle in warning. He straightened and turned around to see that his family was approaching the balcony. “Oh crap!” Tristan looked around the balcony frantically for a way to escape them.
Issy immediately grew concerned when she noticed Tristan’s panicked expression, darting eyes, and suddenly pale complexion. “What is it?”
“It’s my family. They’re here. Rachel invited them to this party. I have to get out of here. I can’t confront my father.” Tristan ran a shaky hand back through his hair and muttered softly to himself. “I may just kill him.” Tristan hadn’t seen nor encountered his father since the incident at the hotel.
Issy’s eyes widened as she gazed through the balcony doors and saw Tristan’s family approaching. As his stalker she was dying to meet them all but Tristan’s fear of them overrode everything else. “Then, we’ll escape.” Issy opened her shoulder bag and pulled out a grappling hook and a long coil of rope that was attached to it. “Disappearing before your target can see you is a stalker skill.” Issy attached the grappling hook to the balcony railing and let the rope fall down over the side.
Tristan gawked at what Issy was doing. “Stalker skill? You have got to be kidding me.” Isn’t this like totally unrealistic? Well, unless you’re a vigilante.
“Hurry up and get your butt over here! We gotta get out of here! Come on!” Issy hopped up onto the railing, grabbed the rope, and began to climb down the side of the office building.
“Coco!” Tristan cried when he saw her jump over the side of the railing. He ran over to the grappling hook, looked over the railing, and saw Coco scaling the side of the building. “Unreal.” The sound of the balcony door opening behind him was heard. Now was not the time to hesitate. Tristan hopped onto the railing, grabbed the rope, and descended. He then began to scale the building after Coco. The building was several stories tall. Finally, Tristan reached the bottom, and then he looked around for his stalker. “Coco?”
But she was gone.
“Rule Number Two of the Shadow Stalker Association. Well, I’ll be.” Tristan smiled to himself, shook his head ruefully, and walked off down the street.
To be continued in…Chocolate 8: Spicy Ginger