A Vampire's Embrace

A Vampire's Embrace


Chapter Three

        He strolled into the little restaurant and was immediately greeted by a beaming, friendly face. "Trent! I wondered where you were! Everything all right?"
        The blonde walked up to the bar to greet his old friend. "Just fine, CD," Trent answered with a smile. "How are you today?"
        "Nothing worth complaining about," he answered with a twinkle in his old eyes. "They're over there," he then said, gesturing with his head to a booth in the shadows of one far corner.
        "Thanks." Trent smiled at his old friend again and then walked off. As he neared the booth, laughter met his ears, and his smile grew even bigger. "Thought you two could run off without me, huh?" he asked upon arrival at the booth.
        Carlos and Trina had been so lost in their mutual reminiscing of past Halloweens that neither had heard his approach. Both heads snapped up when he spoke, however. Carlos beamed, but a guilty look flickered over Trina's face for just a second. "I'm glad to see you two having fun," he assured them both before sliding into the seat next to his twin sister, "but I'm sure you won't mind a little company."
        "We never do, bro." Trina grinned at her brother and signaled CD to bring his regular as well as refills for Carlos' and her own glasses. "Sleep well?" she asked.
        Trent chuckled and, shaking his head, replied, "Once my head touched the pillow, I was out like a light." He then teased his sister, "I know you want to hear it, Trina. You were right. I needed it."
        "Then next time maybe you'll listen to me," she chided him, her blue eyes twinkling.
        Carlos looked from Trina to Trent and then back to Trina. "Hello. Remember this is your brother you're talking about, Trina."
        She chuckled. "Of course. What was I thinking?" she asked with a playful roll of her eyes.
        "I'm not that hard-headed," Trent spoke up in his own defense to which all three laughed.
        It was then that CD arrived with a steamy bowl of chili and a pitcher of sweet tea in his other hand. "Please," he joined in the teasing, "you're as hard-headed as Cordell, Trent, and we all know it." The four Texans' laughter only grew at that.

~*~*~*~

        "Well, guys, I'll see you later,"los los said, rising from his seat as he did so.
        Trina's head snapped up, her blue eyes flashing in surprise. "You're leaving?" she questioned, barely managing to keep her disappointment from sounding.
        "Yeah. I've got something I've got to go pick up," he started to explain.
        "Don't tell me,ent ent interrupted his partner, "you did it again. You left picking a costume until the last day again?!"
        Carlos chuckled as he admitted, "Guilty as charged." He then looked back at Trina. "What are you coming as, any way? Xena: Warrior Princess? Le Femme Nikita?"
        She smiled beguilingly up at him. "It's a surprise."
        "Well, I'm sure every guy will be wanting to dance with you whatever you're wearing. Just save a dance for me, will ya? I'll see you guys tonight, and don't worry about the bill. I'll get it on my way out." With that said, he disappeared into the departing lunch crowd.
        Trent studied his twin's face as she turned her eyes back down to her glass. He continued to watch her silently as she sipped her tea. Finally, her blue eyes flashed as she looked up at him. "What?" she asked exaspartedly.
        "Trina, I know you really like Carlos, and I want you to know . . . " he started to say only to be silenced by her abrupt laughter.
        "Trent, stop trying to set me up with him! All he is to me is a friend! Can't you boys both get that through your thick skulls?!" she demanded.
        Trent sighed, and his eyes returned to his bowl. His muscular shoulders shrugged underneath his black leather jacket. "If that's the way you want it," he murmured softly before falling silent.
        Trina sighed and turned her eyes to look out the window just in time to see Carlos getting into his vehicle. She knew Trent meant well, but he just didn't understand the complications that any relationship beyond friendship between Carlos and herself would cause. She couldn't risk it, and she couldn't even admit the truth to her beloved brother. It was the only thing that she had ever kept from him, but she knew she had no other choice. If she were to tell Trent how she truly felt about his partner and their best friend -- that every time she saw him, her breath caught in her throat; that every time he spoke her name, her heart skipped a beat; or even that she thought him undeniably, amazingly sexy --, Trent would never rest until he was able to get the two of them together. She simply couldn't allow that to happen . . . no matter the toll that having tep hep her love hidden took on her heart.
        "Trina?"
        "Hmm?"
        "Are you listening to me?"
        "Wha --?" Trina shook herself and forced her mind to return to the present reality with the two of them at the booth. "I'm sorry. I was just . . . thinking . . . "
        "Yeah. I kinda noticed," he said knowingly. "I asked if you're come with me to check out that computer store down on Main Avenue."
        "Sure," she answered. She then shrugged as she added, brushing a stray strand of blonde hair back behind her ear, "I'm stranded if I don't, any way. No wonder Carlos insisted on taking his vehicle to see the sights."
        "So you finally got to check out the decorations, huh?"
        "Yeah. Have you see that one house out on Highway 86?"
        "The one with the Witch watching the Vampire?"
        "Yeah. Isn't it amazing?"
        "They definitely knocked themselves out," he admitted, "but my favorite is . . . " They fell into a conversation of the town's Halloween sights, and Trina was relieved to get the subject of Carlos and herself out of her brother's mind for at least a little while.

~*~*~*~

        The day had been long and miserably uneventful. She'd been open since 9 o'clock, and it was now 2 in the afternoon. All she had had throughout the day were a few sales of software and one sale of a scanner. It was the slowest day she had had since becoming the manager of the computer store.
        A soft sigh escaped her red lips. It had to be the holiday. Either the townspeople were too superstitious to feel safe walking outside on Halloween or they were simply too busy with their celebration plans to be concerned with their computers. The sudden roar of an approaching motorcycle startled her out of her thoughts, and her head snapped up just as the engine died outside.
        Her lips pulled up in an instant smile as the hopeful thought that it might be a customer struck her. She wondered what kind of a biker would come to a computer store on Halloween, and her green eyes were glued on the door when the door opened. She watched with rapt attention as a white hand reached out and pulled the door open. Voices drifted to her, but she could not make out any of the words.
        The blonde woman that first breezed through the door surprised her. She recognized the woman immediately as the supermodel, Trina Malloy. She had admired her work, both as a fellow model and actress, for a long time. Her smile grew as Trina approached her desk, but then movement at the door caught her attention.
        Her green eyes shifted back to the door, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the tall blonde man that entered. Her eyes met his, and even despite the distance between them, she could tell that he had the bluest eyes she had ever seen. The way his muscles moved underneath his leather jacket made her hands ache to roam over his sexy body. She had to remind herself to breathe as he smiled at her.
        Trent was pole-axed the very second he stepped into the store. He had never seen a more beautiful woman than the one that stood behind the counter. Her eyes met his, and he felt himself drowning in her vivid, green eyes. Her long, red hair seemed to flow around her beautiful face, and his fingers itched to run through its silky strands. The way her dress molded to her luscious body had him thinking thoughts that he had never dared think before when meeting a stranger. He swallowed hard and fought to keep from blushing as she returned his stare. His lips pulled up into a shy smile, and he was rewarded when she granted him a dazzling smile.
        Realizing that her brother had left her side, Trina glanced over her shoulder to see what was keeping him. Her blue eyes widened in surprise as she found him simply standing there, staring at the clerk behind the counter. Looking back at the other woman, Trina smiled as she realized that the redhead was also checking her brother out. She smiled politely at the redhead before turning around and walking back to Trent. Reaching him, she whispered softly enough that the redhead could not possibly even hope to be able to hear her, "Stop drooling, Virgin Boy."
        "Trina, I --" Trent started to protest only to not be given a chance to finish his sentence.
        "I know you're blown away by her, but do you know that she's checking you out too?"
        Trent finally managed to pull himself together at that question. "You're kidding," he whispered back. "What would a woman like that see in a guy like me?"
        "I don't have time to list all the reasons," Trina gently told her twin, "but trust me, there's plenty of them. We're here for a reason though, Trent, so either get your butt going in that direction or let me drag you along with me."
        He turned flashing blue eyes on her, and she smiled innocently up at him. He shook his head but couldn't help grinning as he turned back and continued on his way. Trina silently followed him, never taking her eyes off her brother and the clerk. She could tell that there was a mutual physical attraction between the two and could understand it, but she did not even have the first clue of whether or not the woman was worthy of her brother.
        {Pull yourself together, girl,} the redhead instructed herself. {For God's sake, he's already got a girlfriend!} She managed to shake herself back to reality with that thought just in time to greet him. "How may I help you?" she asked, beaming at him.
        "Hum, o-our c-computer has a prob-problem," Trent managed to stutter out, still stunned by the beauty before him. {God, why do I have to sound like such a dork?!} he thought, a light pink tinging his cheekbones.
        Trina gently elbowed him in the side as she reached the desk. "What Trent means to say," Trina informed the woman, "is that we're having problems with our Windows 95 on our Compaq computer."
        "Have you tried calling Microsoft?" the clerk asked Trina though she could not tear her eyes away from Trent long enough to look at the other woman.
        "Our whole system's already out of warranty. It kind of slipped up on us," Trina admitted rather embarrassedly though she did not blush.
        "Well, what happened?" the clerk asked as she again continued to try to focus her attention on the problem at hand rather than the hunk before her eyes.
        "I-I was trying to open a file," Trent finally managed to speak again, "when the power flickered. It didn't last long, but it was enough to cause the computer to reboot. When it booted back up, though, it wouldn't boot Windows. I was at first able to access Windows through MS-DOS but that quickly stopped. Now, I can't get into it no matter what I do."
        "We have a friend," Trina added, "who's a bit of a computer whiz. He thinks it was probably hit by a lightning spike but can't tell us what to do to fix it."
        "Well, if it was lightning," the clerk spoke, finally managing to divide her attention more evenly between the problem and the hunk who had brought it to her, "there may not be anything I can do for it, but I can take a look at it. Did you bring it with you, or do you want me to make a house call?"
        "Would you do that?" Trent asked hopefully. He again swallowed nervously as he quickly clarified, "I mean, make a house call?"
        She smiled at him and fluttered her eyelashes. "Anything for you," she said before she could stop herself. She then froze as she realized what had slipped out of her lips. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "I am so sorry! You must think I'm a total --"
        "Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!" Trent and Trina exclaimed simultaneously.
        "What do you think you did that's so wrong?" Trent asked her, his face full of deep concern.
        The redhead hung her head in embarrassed shame. "Your girlfriend is standing right there!" she explained.
        Trent and Trina looked at one another for a long moment, and then Trina burst out laughing. The clerk's head snapped up, a dark red coloring her cheeks. "What's so funny?" she demanded.
        "Trina!" Trent admonished before turning back to the beauty before him. "I'm sorry, miss, thatsistsister thinks it's so funny."
        "Your," the woman had to pause to consider the information before finishing, "sister?"
        "Yeah," Trina answered, her laughter finally ceasing. "We're twins."
        "Oh!" was all the startled but relieved clerk could think to say.
        "I'm Trent," Trent offered, "and she's Trina. And you would be . . . ?"
        "Embarrassed," she admitted with a soft chuckle.
        "There's no reason for that," Trina gently assured her with a shake of her head. "You wouldn't believe how many people make that same mistake!"
        A slow smile began to creep back over the redhead's features as her blush faded. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. My name's Mary Jane Watson, but you can call me MJ." She smiled beguilingly back up at Trent.
        Before the two could become lost in one another's eyes again, Trina quickly asked, "When do you think you can come by and take a look at our computer, MJ?"
        "Well, I suppose Mitch can close up," MJ said. "Just let me get my things."
        "Are you sure?" Trent asked.
        Mary Jane gifted him with the most beautiful smile he had ever borne witness to in his entire life as she told him softly, "Absolutely." She then turned and headed into the back, calling back to them from over her shoulder, "It'll take me only a couple of minutes."


To Be Continued . . .