Hello Everyone,
~
Here’s Another episode of
The Orchid Lover
Sorry I haven’t posted to in a while. I’m going to
try and get something up at least once a month….Enjoy!
*12-09-2012 *
The Orchid Lover – Chasing the Prey
Let the Games
Begin….
Larentia’s eyes sparkled dangerously as she
exploded into the room. The ice blue sequins on her dress caught the light of
the rock crystal chandelier. She radiated a bold sensual energy as she honed in
on her target.
Across the room, Desmond Garcia stood by a
cluster of ferns at the edge of the massive bar set at the end of foyer. He was
talking to a woman and a man.
Larentia quietly studied him. He was dressed
elegantly and held himself in a cool assured happy manner. She watched him as
he stood smiling contently. He was happy. If happiness was power it wasn’t
right that Desmond Garcia held so much of it she thought.
For a few minutes Larentia stood there and watched
Desmond as he spoke to the man and woman.
The woman was in her early sixties. She was
tall and thin and buxomly. Her facial features looked perfectly preserved as if
she’d just had a recent shot of Botox. She
was wearing a tight black dress that showed more cleavage than needed.
The man she was standing next to was balding
with wrinkles across his forehead and bulging eyes. He was shorter than the
woman.
All of a sudden the woman looked up at
Larentia. Her eyes tightened as if sensing Larentia was some kind of threat. She
nodded a greeting and tapped the man on the shoulder. The man shook Desmond’s hands and the two
walked away.
Desmond Garcia’s eyes captured Larentia’s. His
eyes appraisingly came to rest at the Orchid in her hair. He flashed her wide
grin.
Larentia ran her hand lightly across her smoothed
perfect hair. The style reminded her of
the old 1920’s. She quickly closed the distance between them.
“The wine color on the lip of that orchid
you’re wearing is exquisite. It’s a Cattleya
hybrid species, right?” he asked but didn’t wait for her to answer. “I’d know
that one anywhere,” Desmond smiled.
Larentia flashed him a wide grin. “You know your
orchids Desmond,” she nodded briskly. “I believe congratulations are in order.”
Desmond laughed softly. “Yes I’m a very happy
man, who’s now engaged.”
“A happy
moment like this deserves to be toasted,” she said gently. “Please have a toast
with me Desmond. I want to congratulate you and my cousin on your engagement,” her
eyes darted around the room as she caught sight of her cousin. She raised a
surprised brow. “It looks like Camille is talking with that gentleman. Would
you like me to get her attention?”
His eyes followed her gaze. He smiled softly. Camille was preoccupied talking with Hudson
Stone. He was a tall man with thick wavy dark hair that was just beginning to
tinge with gray.
Desmond knew Hudson Stone had two fondnesses
in life. One was for drinking martinis. The
other was hearing himself talk. He was a
professor from UC Berkley who loved the sound of his own voice. He was sure the professor was giving Camille an
ear full on his latest discovery. For a brief moment he felt sorry for
her. He quickly lost the thought.
“No, Camille is enjoying Hudson’s
conversation. Let’s not bother them,” he answered thinking quickly that if
Camille wasn’t listening to the professor he might be next in line to have his
ear talked off. He shrugged with the
thought and turned his attention back to Larentia.
Larentia looked back at him quickly. “Good,
here comes a waiter and it looks like he has my favorite sparkling Spumante and
some sugar cubes.”
Desmond regarded her briefly. He watched as
she took a sugar cube and placed it in her glass.
“You
like to add sugar cubes?”
“Yes I love to,” she said, “The sugar cube makes
the taste better. Would you like to try a glass Desmond?” she asked passing him
a glass.
“Sure,
it does look tempting,” Desmond said, as his eyes intently studied his glass. “I
did hear that sugar intensifies the favor?”
“To me
it does,” she said holding up her glass. “Here’s to finding true love,”
Larentia said raising her glass.
For a moment Desmond hesitantly turned his
glass of champagne around in his fingers.
Nervously Larentia bit her lip and continued
to stare at him.
Finally,
he smiled slowly. “Yes, here’s to finding true love,” he said, as he clanked
his glass with hers.
The two sipped their champagne silently.
All at once Larentia broke the ice. “You know you are awfully calm for a man who’s
watching his fiancé share a conversation with her old flame…….Oh, what am I
saying. I meant to say old friend,” she corrected.
Desmond’s eyes flashed coldly for a brief
moment.
She softly smiled and sipped her champagne. From
the cold expression that flashed crossed Desmond’s face, she knew her words had
found their target. She watched as Desmond slanted his gaze in Camille’s and
Hudson’s direction.
Desmond blinked rapidly. For the first time he
noticed the way Hudson let his hand tenderly caress Camille’s arm. Camille looked on as if she was under a
hypnotic spell.
Desmond made a wry face and remained silent.
His fingers toyed with the drink in his hand.
“You knew about Hudson and Camille?” he hesitated. “I mean the rumors.
You’ve heard about the rumors?”
Desmond looked hurt.
As if reading his thoughts Larentia said. “Rumors…..Rumors…Rumors.
You know Desmond someone once said that rumors where the kin-folk of lies.” her
voice was low and pleading. “I mean, you shouldn’t believe anything that you
hear.”
Then she gulped down her drink as her eyes
watched his. “Desmond, you should finish your champagne. It will calm you,” she said.
Time seemed to stand still.
All at once Desmond threw back his head and
finished his drink.
Larentia waived her hand. “Oh waiter,” she
said quickly waiving at him.
She took the empty glass from Desmond’s hand
and placed it on the waiter’s tray.
The waiter stood still while she filled the
fresh glasses with the sugar cubes.
“Here’s
a fresh glass Desmond,” she said placing another glass of champagne in his
hand.
Desmond held his glass as his eyes traveled
around the room.
When his eyes darted back and rested on
Larentia’s, he seemed to stare straight through her and looked at the end of
the bar.
A tall man in a classic black suit nodded
greetings to Desmond. He then walked silently across the room before coming to
rest at the end of the bar.
Desmond nodded. “Larentia I think I’ll go mingle
with the rest of the guests,” he said nodding and heading toward the man at the
end of the bar.
Larentia stood and watched him as he walked
away. She noticed that his movements with slightly slow. Her eyes darted across the room where her
cousin Camille had stood earlier with Hudson Stone. She noticed they were both
absent from the room. She wondered where in the hell the two had gone.
A half hour later, Larentia made her way out
of the ladies room at the end of the large foyer, behind the stair well.
A man grabbed her arm and pulled her behind
the stairwell. “Get back to our prey!” a familiar voice hissed out low.
“Delmar where did you come from?”
He gripped her arm tighter. “Don’t worry about
it. Now get back to Desmond, and get his arse down the hallway.”
Delmar abruptly released his grip.
“But how?” she asked rubbing her wrist but not
waiting for his response. “And exactly where am I supposed to take him?”
Delmar smiled enjoying the expression of pain
he’d inflicted etched across her face. “Tell him Camille asked him to come,” he
shook his head. “I don’t know. Make up a lie and tell him something. Then take
him down the large hallway just past the statues of Eros and Aphrodite. There’s
a small private room just on the left. There’s a little scene of grown folks
lust being played out there I think he should know about,” he grinned out in a
condescending voice. “Now go and get him now!” he commanded.
Minutes later, Larentia looked relaxed and in
complete control of herself, as she strolled with Desmond Garcia down the
massive hallway. Her eyes looked innocent and grew large as saucers as she edged
him on. She hoped her voice was believable as she said. “Camille asked me to come
and get you. Apparently she spilled something on her dress and wants to borrow
your coat to cover it.”
Desmond didn’t reply as he followed her.
“Camille is in there,” she said pointing to
the door. She took a step back.
With a thrust Desmond swung open the door.
“What the hell!” Desmond snapped. Anger seared
across his face.
Camille jumped out of Hudson’s arms
immediately.
Desmond closed the distance between them. His
hand lashed out across her face. “Camille you little slut!”
Camille grabbed her face. Tears streaked down
her face as she grabbed her dress and ran from the room.
Hudson Stone stood their laughing nervously. “Oh
Desmond this isn’t what you think.”
“I saw you kissing her!” Desmond hissed
nastily.
“Oh that…..Yes, well it was only just a little
kiss, a little tiny one,” Hudson said wearily.
Stay
tuned…….to be continued…
