Last night, after our guests departed, Annie and I plopped ourselves on my bed to debrief. Kathryn returned. No shocker, there. They were currently occupied, and not quietly, I might add. Annie was all ears as I recounted my conversations with Jack. I wasn’t any closer to figuring him out.
“Julien was soft spoken, but not shy. He would have made sure I understood what he wanted on that couch. Jack held himself back. I’m trying not to get my hopes up, but I should know a lot more after our date.”
“So, is he Julien? Do you think it’s a past life kind of thing?” Annie asks.
“Physically. However, Jack’s personality is definitely unique. I need to do more research, but what we already discovered is that a soul can reincarnate and be completely different in the next life.”
“Meaning he could have Julian’s face, and even his soul, but be a completely different person,” summarizes Annie.
“Yeah. He seems pretty cool, but what if he turns out to be awful? It will be hard for me to turn away from him, looking the way he does. All I need is another horrid man in my life. You know all about Charles, but there was also my father.”
I tell Annie how my father skulked around the chateau for three years, after bringing home his new wife. It was a dark, miserable time. Father’s goal was to conceive a legitimate heir for his diminishing fortune and title. I’m sure he believed his young bride would bear him many children, mostly sons. His second wife became more of a failure, in his eyes, than the first had been. He made sure she knew how he felt. Poor Sabina could not have a live child, try as she might. There were several pregnancies, all of which either ended in miscarriage or stillbirth.
It was awful for her. I could see her deteriorate with each fresh, horrible tragedy. Father was completely unsympathetic. Of course, there were illegitimate children of father’s out in the world and at least two boys I heard whispers of. What he needed was a non-bastard. I, as a girl, was useless to him.
Sabina was always indifferent to me, neither cruel nor kind. She had been ill-used by my father. She only wanted to love and be loved in return. The poor girl did not deserve her fate. She died when I was fifteen, a young woman of twenty-five, whose body could take no more.
“That is one terrible story, Mills. No wonder you jumped at the chance to be with Julien. After being raised by a hard man like your father, and then being married to another hard, cold man like Charles, who wouldn’t?”
“You’ve got that right. Hopefully, the future will be a little brighter.”
I wake the next evening to find Annie gone. She is like a cat, always sneaking in and out and on the prowl. After feeding last night, I won’t need blood for another week or so, but I have several hours to fill and need to keep myself occupied. I decide to amuse myself with some late-night shopping.
There is a boutique nearby which I love, but the owner Tess, closes at six. On occasion, she will re-open for me. Particularly, since I tend to spend large amounts of cash in a short amount of time, making me an ideal customer. I send Tess a text, lying in bed until I receive a reply. Five minutes later, Tess answers saying she will meet me at her shop in thirty minutes. Throwing on my usual skinny jeans and loose tee, I’m out the door.
The streets are alive as always. I feel a hopeful lightness. A girl could get used to this. Approaching the door of the boutique, I hear a soft click and the door opens, letting a flood of light onto the sidewalk. There is Tess, a lovely full-figured lady, wearing sweatpants, printed with cats.
“I was about to put in a movie when you texted,” she says, by way of explanation.
“Sorry Tess. I have a date tonight, for the first time in a hundred years, and wanted something new.”
She has no idea how serious I am about the hundred years’ thing.
“Always happy to open for you, Millicent. The new stock is in the front of the store.”
Not known for her wordiness, Tess leaves me, going to the back room. She knows I love looking through the racks alone, and don’t need any help finding treasure. After only a few minutes, I spot a gold sequined skirt which is a must. I pick out my size along with a black, sleeveless, silk top to go with it. Then, I snatch up a pair of mid-heel, black, Jimmy Choo pumps. I grab a few other things that catch my eye, wanting to make it worth Tess’s time. As she checks me out, she oohs and aahs over my choices, then thanks me for my patronage. I’m pretty sure Annie and I alone help keep the doors to this little place open.
Back at home, I bathe, starting to get ready. Effortless is the word of the day. Unlike when I was mortal, and everything was over the top and frothily decadent. Even as a child, I was powdered, coiffured, and costumed. A trend during my later years as a mortal had women decorating their hair with crazy, ostentatious flair. I wasn’t a fan, but the ladies in my circle regularly added pastel colored wigs to their natural hair. They would often try to outdo each other with bolder, more elaborate creations, adding everything from butterflies to miniature sailing ships to the top of their already towering hairstyles. I admit, it was fun to see what the bolder ladies would do next.
I always preferred subtle, leaving my long hair loose and my makeup light. I add a simple gold bracelet, my favorite black leather clutch, and I’m ready. Alexandre walks in.
“You look beautiful,” he says.
“You’re being nice. You must have had fun last night,” I tease.
“It was ok,” he pauses a moment. “Lackluster, actually, though I’ll give her points for enthusiasm.”
“Poor Alexandre. You haven’t had much luck in that department lately. Will you see her again?”
“It is fun bedding a movie star, maybe I can teach her a thing or two. Look, Mills, I came in to talk to you about this Jack.”
Here we go.
“Go for it.”
“Please tread carefully. Something about this doesn’t feel right to me. I would like to avoid another blood bath. It would be a shame if we had to leave the city, unable to return for a hundred years.”
The blood bath comment is referring to the revenge he took on my long-ago husband. I recall the front steps of my husband’s chateau dripping with blood, the gravel of the round drive soaked with liquid that shone like black pools in the starlight. I had to hold up my gown, trying not to slip in the sticky mess. I am not taking this lightly, I also know Alexandre is deadly serious. However, being that I’m finally in a good mood, and in a hurry, I try to keep this brief, and light.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Alexandre. Everything will be fine. I’ve no husband this time to ruin my life.” I smile at him, receiving nothing in return but a smirk.
“Just watch your back, please. You’ve been a good companion to me.”
“Aww. That was actually sentimental.” I wink, blowing a kiss toward Alexandre at the same time.
“I’m serious, Mills.”
“Ok, I get it. I will keep my eyes open, promise.” I cross my fingers over my heart.
Alexandre walks me down the stairs. Trying to still my shaky limbs, I excitedly head toward the club. Not surprisingly, the speakeasy, is already packed at eleven-forty-five. Luckily, I called ahead and reserved my favorite dimly lit, corner booth. I order a martini, then sit back to wait for Jack. I have a laugh at a modern establishment, which is in no way secret or illegal, calling itself a speakeasy.
Jack walks in about ten minutes later wearing all black, once again. I’m completely fine with this, as he looks delectable. His black shirt is open at the collar, tucked into nicely fitted black slacks with expensive, tasteful, Ferragamo black loafers. The open shirt collar reveals a peak at a nicely toned chest. In his hand he holds a paperback.
Looking around the room, he smiles when he spots me. Scooting in so we are less than an arm’s length away from each other, he surprises me by leaning in the rest of the way and kissing me on the cheek. A good start, but we can do better. I’m aching everywhere for the touch of this man but that’s no reason to throw myself at him.
“You look stunning, Millicent.” The scent of sandalwood fills my head with erotic thoughts. “I brought you a little something. My favorite book. It’s my copy, so it’s a little beat up.”
His deep blue eyes are intent on mine, and again I have a hard time keeping my hands to myself. I wonder if his gaze is this intense for everyone. The thought makes me fiercely jealous. I want these eyes all to myself. All he has to do is look my way and I feel my breath quicken. This is what I want, something just like this. I had it once and was almost destroyed when I lost it.
I turn the book around in my hands. It’s a copy of The Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemingway. I read it years ago but won’t tell Jack this. “I love a dog-eared paperback, and I haven’t read this. Thank you.” I place the book in my lap. “You look nice, yourself. How was filming?”
Before he can answer, the waiter comes over to get his drink order. He orders a beer, then turns his attention back to me.
“It went well. We had some trouble with noise from the onlookers, but nothing that we couldn’t work around. The crowd was trying to get a glimpse of Kathryn and Timothy.”
I smile and shake my head. The interest in celebrities never changes, not from one century to the next. I remember the clamor over Marie Antoinette at my wedding, not to mention my own excitement at meeting her. Escapism from drudgery is what we all seek, this is what our pop culture icons represent.
We continue the usual get to know you banter from last night. I fudge some of my answers, out of necessity. If I said I was a two-hundred-forty-year-old vampire and minor French royalty, he would run as fast as he possibly could, thinking me utterly insane. Not a good way to start a first date.
Jack seems to have had a pretty normal life. He was born and raised in London by good, middle-class parents. An only child, he started acting in high school, is now thirty-eight and able to support himself with his profession. I’m not getting anything the least bit off about him, other than that he is not making a move on me. I notice he is tapping his foot again, which makes me grin. I guess I’ll be making the first move.
“This place is great. I’m glad to be alone with you,” says Jack.
I think this is an incredibly sweet thing to say, but playfully remind him, “We were alone last night, in the library.”
“That doesn’t count, not with everyone else in the courtyard wondering what we were up to.”
“We weren’t up to anything. It was all perfectly innocent, unfortunately.” I wink at him, deciding it’s time to get serious. I’m trembling, even though he hasn’t touched me yet.
“Jack, I’m going to be blunt with you. A woman should never give up the higher ground, however, I feel like with you being in town for only a short while, our time is limited. I find you incredibly attractive. Are you at all interested in me?”
He laughs, “I appreciate a woman who doesn’t play games, Millicent. You are truly a gorgeous woman. I’d be crazy not to be interested in you. To be honest, I’m just a little worried about the age difference. I’m quite a bit older than you.”
I forget sometimes that my outside appearance froze at twenty-four, while internally, I have continued to grow and age. It also strikes me that if he is concerned about our age difference, he must see me as more than just an on-location fling. Only a gentleman would be concerned by my age, rather than running out the door to hail a cab.
“Believe me, Jack, I’m very mature for my years. And I’m just interested in getting to know you better and having fun. I’m not looking for anything serious, at the moment.”
Jack grins, nodding his head. He looks down for a moment as if considering what to say next. He takes a breath and looks in my eyes. I drop my chin and shoulder, so that I’m looking slightly upward at him. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Apparently, my body language has the desired effect.
Jack lowers his gaze to my mouth and cups the back of my head in his hand. He pulls me toward him. When our lips meet, I take in a breath, ever so slightly, opening my mouth to his. The instant his tongue slides over mine, my skin heats up. It’s a familiar sensation, which has long been dormant. My left-hand slides over his chest and I pull at his shirt, bringing our bodies closer. Inhaling his clean, masculine scent, my cheek brushes against his light five o’clock shadow.
I forgot the heart pounding excitement of the first kiss. Only one other time have I ever felt this intense desire, from one encounter. This kiss is familiar, yet new, at the same time. Jack deepens the kiss, and I want to lose myself in this moment. The dark, corner booth was a good choice.
Time feels as if it has stopped. All the waiting, all the loneliness, has been worth it for this one moment. If only I could go back to tell myself to be patient, that he would find me, again. I could go on kissing him like this, forever, but I need more.
After a couple of minutes of bliss, I break the kiss. “Time to go.”
Clearly, we’re on the same page. Pulling out his wallet, without a word, Jack leaves a fifty-dollar bill on the table. We hold hands, our bodies pressed against each other as we walk outside. Giddiness, once again, makes me feel jittery. It’s been a long time since I felt such anticipation. Once outside, Jack hooks his arm around my waist, then pulls me in for another kiss. Against my mouth, he asks me where I would like to go.
“Wherever you’re staying.”
We hail a cab and are off.