Again, I want to give a shout out to Techsan for the exemplary editing job. Thanks one and all for all of the great comments; and, thanks for reading my story. Readers, please keep up with the comments. They encourage me to get on with the next chapter. They also let me know if I'm going in the right direction. That's not to say that I am going to give everyone what they want -- LOL! But hopefully I can give you a little of what you need...as promised. Cheers and thanks again.
Chapter 7
Thanks to Lula's petulance and a maliciously spilled cup of coffee, Justine had managed to secure an entire morning with Daniel and a date with the most eligible bachelor in town. To be fair, she'd had her doubts about her chances of success with this breathtaking specimen.
It was this uncertainty that had prompted her to hedge her bets; she'd asked her father to simply drop her off and leave her stranded at the Carven estate. She'd planned to use her predicament as an excuse to solicit some "private" time with Daniel and perhaps purloin an invitation to be his date on July Fourth.
She'd been almost positive that her initial attempt was failing when Lula rescued her floundering efforts by unceremoniously spilling a scalding cup of coffee all over the front of the her linen dress -- a small price to pay; she had a dozen at home just like it in every imaginable color. Even as she was silently cursing the day that that "black bitch" had been born, she knew that there had to be a way to turn this "accident" in her favor. She'd found a way.
As Daniel gazed at Justine's perfectly poised sexy pout, he realized that he was trapped. Of course he'd drive the little vixen home so she could change. Of course he'd ask her to be his date for the Fourth of July picnic. What red-blooded man in their right mind would turn down an opportunity like that? Besides, who else would he ask? Lula?
Daniel mentally revisited the "accident" that had just taken place only moments before and began to fume anew.
"Just where the hell did Lula get off attacking Justine like that?" he groused to himself as he took the "Venus of Raleigh" by the arm and led her to his father's pickup.
He'd seen Lu pull some malicious stunts before, but this last one was too much. She could have really hurt the girl with that little act of hers. And even if Lu didn't appreciate what Justine had to say about her, a full-blown assault with a scalding cup of coffee wasn't exactly the answer either. Lu's temper was going to get her into trouble one day — of this Daniel was certain.
As vexed as Daniel was at Lu, Justine was secretly just as grateful. Keeping her conversation light and away from all things "Lula," Justine managed to lighten Daniel's mood considerably. By the time they reached the driveway of her Greek Revival-style mansion, Daniel had convinced himself that an afternoon with Justine would be more pleasant than he'd anticipated.
She'd laughed in all the right places without sounding forced or too eager. She'd asked about his first year at West Point and seemed genuinely interested in his answers, even picking up on slight nuisances in their conversation and asking for more detail. In short, Daniel's conversation with Justine had been the first calm and rationale conversation he'd had with someone his own age since he'd come home; he was grateful for the respite from the tension-filled encounters with Lula these past few days.
As the two entered the cavernous foyer of her palatial home, Justine made sure to warn Daniel that no one was home and he should wait in the drawing room while she changed — it was fitting for all
gentlemen callers
to wait in the parlor or drawing room for their intended. She'd even offered to bring him something cool to drink while he waited.
Justine: the perfect hostess, adept at entertaining and excelling in deportment. The art of subtly wasn't lost on her when she wanted to finesse a situation to her advantage.
Daniel waited patiently in the drawing room, pretending to be interested in the family portraits and expensive bric-a-brac tastefully displayed like relics in a museum. The Farewell home had always seemed a little unsettling to him, lacking any of the warmth and subtle elegance his own home offered. Indeed, the Farewell mansion accurately reflected its owners, beautiful and aesthetically pleasing, while simultaneously giving off an austere, cold feeling.
As Daniel meandered around the large drawing room, a chill passed through him. He involuntarily shivered and repeatedly checked the doorway, mentally willing Justine to hurry and finish dressing so that he could leave this mausoleum. Something unnerving hung thick in the air in this house. Daniel wanted out.
He'd decided to call upstairs for Justine, when he heard a loud crash followed by a shrill cry as Justine called out to him in surprise. Taking two steps at a time, Daniel ran up the stairs to Justine's room, his heart pounding in his throat and anticipating the worst. When he reached the girl's door, for the second time in less than two days, Daniel was left dumbstruck.
Justine was standing in the middle of her bedroom surround by the twinkling shards of glass that had once apparently been a crystal vase. The contents of the vase, a bouquet of at least two dozen white roses, were strewn on the floor. Water pooled around the girl's feet, which were clad in expensive cream-colored platform shoes — the strap on one shoe was broken. Daniel could only guess why Justine had decided to slip on the uncomfortable footwear given that she was wearing very little else.
Justine feigned an attempt at modesty by trying to cover the important parts of her body with her hands. The white silk and lace slip she'd pulled on left little to the imagination. The garment seemed to be poured onto her body, outlining each curve with perfection. The high-heeled shoes put her legs on display as she pretended to cover herself by crossing her legs in front of her and covering her bottom half with one hand — a picture perfect pin-up pose; the other hand was occupied with the pretense of covering her breasts, her bubble-gum pink nipples perkily defying her attempts at modesty. At that moment, Daniel understood Justine's allure.
"Daniel, don't just stand there gawking...help me," the blonde Venus gasped as she captured Daniel with pleading eyes filled with helplessness.
"I was rushing to get dressed and the strap on my shoe broke. I knocked the vase off of the dressing table when I lost my balance," Justine motioned to the floor at the discarded carcasses of white roses sacrificed at the altar of deception.
"There's glass everywhere and I am petrified to try and walk away in these heels for fear I'll break my neck or cut my feet to ribbons."
Daniel sighed; Justine's obvious attempt to get him upstairs to her bedroom had worked like a charm. Surprisingly, he didn't half mind being the object of this ruse. It kept his mind off other things — and other people.