The Vampire (THE VAMPIRE Book 1) (67 page)

“What is that green substance you drink?”

Jason was startled out of his reverie by Augere’s softly spoken question. He glanced up quickly, uncertain he had heard anything at all. Had he imagined it? He wasn’t presently drinking anything. Augere was still looking at the book he had been reading as if he had not spoken. After several moments though, he glanced up at Jason expectantly.

“I’m not…sure what you mean.”

Augere continued to gaze at him. A long silent interval passed. He seemed to be waiting patiently for his answer. As if Jason was just being stubbornly recalcitrant.

Okay,
Jason thought. He considered what Augere could possibly be referring to. He drank green tea sometimes. Perhaps Augere had observed that. But that wasn’t actually green. He couldn’t recall even drinking anything green in Augere’s presence. Jason considered other possibilities. Could he possibly mean…

“Was it in a plastic bottle? …this high?” Jason gestured.

Augere nodded once.

“Oh. It is just a soda. A carbonated beverage.”

“Is it not harmful?”

What an odd question.

“I suppose it could be, if I drank mass quantities. Which I do not.”

Another long pause stretched, with Augere’s gaze still fixed upon him, even more uncomfortable than the first.

“Now may I ask you a question?”

Augere appeared wary. “If you must.”

Jason decided to take the leap.

“If I had not returned, would you have stayed in New Orleans, or come back here?” It was not the question he most needed an answer to, but it was a start.

A flicker of surprise crossed Augere’s face. “I would be here.”

“Are you angry and upset with me?”

“Why.” A toneless reply.

Jason shrugged. He would let that one go.

“Before that day I spoke to you, had you seen me at all in New Orleans that week?”

Augere’s only reply was a short abrupt laugh, without mirth. Jason was undaunted and decided to carry on.

“My voice—is it too loud for you—is it upsetting to you?”

This seemed to catch Augere off guard. He frowned slightly and then his expression softened. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes. As Jason had noted before it was difficult to catch Augere in an unguarded moment, but it was possible.

“You…no…not…usually,” was his hesitant reply.

Jason felt he was on a roll now.

“Is there some connection between you and the Ursulines convent?”

“We are just acquaintances,” was Augere’s quick and terse reply.

Jason tried to conceal his amusement. This was going well, sort of. He was not getting to the heart of what he wanted to know, but the circuitous path was going somewhere. He was getting to test the waters at least, even if they were murky.

“Several people—the Geniers” he corrected himself, “told me I should just talk to you, ask you questions and that you would answer them—”

Augere’s cold expression and his abrupt, icy tone took him by surprise. “What other promises did they make on my behalf?”

Well, so much for that,
Jason thought. There was hardly any point in asking him anything trivial now, much less anything of any real importance. Jason left the rhetorical question, as he supposed Augere’s comment to be, hanging in the air as he sought to change the subject.

“Do you want me to see if I have any of the green soda?”

“I would like to taste it,” Augere said quietly.

Jason was surprised to find two 20oz bottles of the stuff in his pantry. He brought one of them with two glasses of ice on a tray. Augere picked up the bottle and read the label, quite thoroughly, it seemed.

“You are drinking chemicals,” he stated with surprise.

“Well, yes, that would be flavoring and the carbonation. Haven’t you had a carbonated beverage before?”

“My usual beverage does not come in carbonated form.”

Jason had to suppress a laugh. It wasn’t so difficult to stifle it as he realized he was a full container of that usual and preferred beverage, and was just now standing in too close proximity to the consumer of it.

“Horrible,” Augere pronounced, and then took another sip. Then another. And a moment later: “Do all of these taste like this?”

“Well, there are different flavors. Do you want to try a different one?”

“No…yes.”

Jason returned with a root beer. “This one is my favorite.”

Augere sipped it. Winced. “Why?”

“It tastes really good and refreshing especially when it is well chilled. I—we—like the sensation of the carbonation. And the chemicals”—Jason managed to maintain a serious expression—“are very tasty.”

Augere eyed him skeptically.

“Do you like the flavor?”

Augere shrugged. “I suppose…more than the green. Sarsaparilla.”

“Hmmm?” Jason asked.

Augere made no reply.

“I guess the other might be an acquired taste.”

Augere nodded once. He set the glass down, having finished the contents and then took his book and left the library.

Well, at this rate it was going to take a long time to learn much of anything from Augere. What else could he do? Jason hated being too direct and confrontational, but it was as though he was forced to be sometimes.
I don’t want him to get angry with me. I’m just not sure now how to be around him now
. He did not know if they both wanted the same things. He would like to have more of a personal connection with Augere; he was hesitant to acknowledge this to himself before.
Why couldn’t we be good friends? Would he be comfortable with that?
And he might have continued to wonder, until he had talked to Terrance. But maybe that relationship was an exception; and maybe that was the reason Terrance had lasted so long. Maybe this time Augere wanted and needed to maintain an emotional distance. And if that was the case then Jason would just have to accept it, no matter how he personally felt. If it had to be far less than a friendship then he had to know, so he could stop wanting that. He would never consider leaving of course, not for that reason. Having briefly and recently experienced what his life would be like once he no longer worked for or had access to Augere, Jason had no desire to be better acquainted with that reality again, ever.
I just think it would make for a smoother working relationship if we genuinely liked each other
.

He could take a measure of satisfaction in the fact that for reasons that were still not clear—regardless of the results of the screening criteria—Augere had selected him; he was one of a small and highly select number of people who would have knowledge of his existence and have access to him. And apparently Augere had chosen him far earlier than Jason could have known. Even any fear and uncertainty he might still have was not enough to deter him from this opportunity now. He very much liked Augere. He wanted to savor every moment of this experience. It would not be worth it to come across as impatient or pushy; he didn’t want to give Augere a reason to avoid him more than he already seemed to.

His waking thought on Monday was to stay as busy as possible to avoid those feelings of insecurity and any worrisome thoughts. He re-organized some of his belongings, having decided it was time to get rid of some clutter.
So I can get more stuff
. He laughed to himself.

Around noon, he received a phone call from Genier.

“Just checking in, Jason. How are you? How are things going?”

“Fine thanks. And you?”

“Very well, thanks.”

“I was very pleasantly surprised to find all of my stuff still here. I hadn’t even thought to ask about it, when I saw you.”

“Yes, well we wanted to have one of our staff present to handle moving the items, but the best one for the job was on vacation so that just didn’t work out and the plan was put on hold. But I am glad things did work out.”

“Me too.”
Another thing in my favor,
Jason thought.
More help from unexpected sources
.

“How has Mr. Augere been treating you? Decently, I hope.”

“Well, I did ask him some questions. He told me what year he was born…”

“Quite remarkable, isn’t it?”

“Almost unbelievable. And your family has been with him for so long…how did that come about—I’d ask him but I really don’t see him much and he doesn’t seem that amenable to questions.”

“It is kind of a long story. And again perhaps it is best if he tells it to you. Or at least his version of it.”

“I don’t know if that is likely to happen. It’s very difficult to get information out of him. I feel like I am prying into his personal life.”

“He knows and accepts that you will be curious about him, and will have many questions. He will tell you, if you ask him.”

“That’s just it. I mentioned you had told me that and it seemed to put him off—all of you really do have a good rapport with him though, don’t you?”

Genier laughed. “Why? What did he say about us?”

“It was more his attitude. Resentful, almost. I had to back down.”

“He is just being in one of his moods. Actually though…” Genier paused. “This is a rather difficult time of year for him. Perhaps it would be better to wait until after the first of the year. He may be more agreeable then. Yes—I would definitely advise waiting. Be patient.”

“Yes, okay then; I’m glad you told me that.”

“I have a question for you, Jason. Actually it is the other reason I’m calling. Do you have plans for the upcoming holidays?”

“I haven’t really thought about it,” he replied truthfully.

“So—you have not discussed any plans with Mr. Augere?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Do you have some idea, just thinking about it now, what you might be doing?”

“Nothing definite. Since I’ve only just come back, I am just taking it one day at a time.”

“I see. I am wondering if you could hold off mentioning to him any potential plans you might have—or that you spoke to me about this—until I get back to you. Would that be okay? And, then, if you have no definite plans still, would you be open to some alternate arrangements?”

“Sure. I guess I can do that. I probably won’t see him anyway, so it most likely won’t be an issue.”

“Good. I will get back to you soon then.”

Now what is going on?
Jason wondered as the phone call concluded.

An hour after his phone call from Genier, Zavi called.

The welcome sound of her voice lifted his flagging spirits. What did he have to be down about? He had his job back with Augere; had his cushy lifestyle again; Zavi was still in his life; all of his belongings still safe where he had left them. All was right with the world.

She was back in town and they made plans to meet for dinner. He planned to take her to a romantic restaurant. And then they would go shopping. See a movie. Whatever she wanted. They agreed to meet in the mall at Copley Square. He sat on a bench near the movie theatre in the mall, nearly a half hour early. He was feeling nervous and a little shy at the idea of seeing her again, but soon she was striding toward him with a big smile. Her shining dark hair, falling in long cascading waves just past her shoulders, bounced as she walked. As she approached him, her deep blue eyes were even more striking and beautiful than he had remembered. The deep feelings she stirred in him surprised him now. He had been aching for her and now he suddenly felt himself blush at the sight of her. He had been wondering, as he waited, if she still felt the same toward him, thinking of the closeness they had shared. Now as their eyes met all of the warmth that had once been between them returned, melting any doubts away. He embraced her and kissed her passionately. Her lilting laugh charmed him more than ever. They sat side by side in the candlelit restaurant sipping wine and speaking in low tones. He was enjoying her subtle perfume; the nearness of her, the casual way her arm lightly brushed against his from time to time.

She stirred cream into her coffee, slowly, the very gesture sexy to him, then turned her head to look him fully in the eyes. He could melt under her gaze.

“I’ve really missed you, Jason.” Her voice was a soft seductive whisper. He leaned in closer and kissed her lips. Her hand lightly groped his thigh under the table. He gasped and she laughed playfully. Then he laughed too and kissed her again.

They walked around the mall. She gazed into store windows. He gazed at her. From time to time he discreetly checked his work phone.

There was a very large tree decorated in the corner of the mall, set up as if it were in a cozy living room, with red velvet furniture and a faux fireplace. Fake presents were stacked about and a fake window showed fake snow falling outdoors. Impressively overdone. But it gave Jason an idea.

The huge foyer in the house could handle a fairly large tree. He could order one and have it delivered and set up as a surprise; maybe it would help to cheer Augere.

He would have to buy a lot of ornaments of course, but there might be some fun in that. He could pick a theme…

Zavi tugged playfully at his sleeve. “You were gone there for a few moments.” She laughed.

“Sorry,” he slipped his arm around her waist. “Just seeing this tree reminded me—”

“Oh, yes, your family? Well, you got to see them after the Europe trip, didn’t you? I bet they were surprised!”

He nodded.
Not nearly as surprised as I was
.

“Are you going home to see them over the Christmas holidays?”

Though he had always spent the holidays with his family, the thought hadn’t even occurred to him yet. He had just been home.

“I think you should, Jason. My dad wants all of us to travel to London over Christmas, to be with the rest of the family. And then he is taking all of us on a holiday to Spain. I won’t be back until classes start again in January.”

He drew her closer to him as they walked. “I’ll see you before you leave, won’t I?”

She nestled into his shoulder. “You better.”

He wanted to invite her back to his place, right now. But he decided it might not be wise.

They went to her apartment instead, and once they confirmed her roommates were out, they immediately undressed and got into bed.

He gave himself over completely to his lust for her and she responded in kind, meeting his deep thrusts with equal passion and moans of intense pleasure. They lay, pleasantly spent, gazing at each in the dimly lit room.