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Laura sunk deeper into the plushy couch at Karnstein mansion and played with the straw in her chocolate milkshake, content to watch one of the strangest conversations that she’d ever had the pleasure of viewing. Across the room, Carmilla and JP were standing in front of a bank of computer screens that were covered in the faces of apparently every eligible girl in Silas.
All of whom Carmilla had apparently managed to make not want to go within ten feet of her.
“What about her?” Carmilla pointed to a picture at random.
JP consulted the tablet in his arms, “You spent the night with her two years ago. Didn’t call her back.”
“Her?” Carmilla tried again, “I think I’d remember her.”
JP winced, “You’ve been on two dates with her and elected to get, as they say, ‘wasted’ each time because ‘she’s as interesting as a stick of glue’. And I’m quoting you directly there as you decided it was prudent to say it directly to her face at the end of your second night.”
A puzzled look came over Carmilla’s face as she pointed to the next girl, “Corporate christmas party?”
“Identical twins.” was all JP said, his face turning a miraculous shade of red.
“I thought I remembered her! Them.” Carmilla said and hit the table in triumph, “Good night”.
Laura rolled her eyes and dipped her finger in the whipped cream on top of her milkshake, chasing a chocolate sprinkle, “Carm. You’re really gross.”
“That’s the name of the game, cupcake,” Carmilla said, “Part of the charade that comes with all of this.” She gestured to the mansion around her. The Karnstein Corporation parent company owned at least half of Silas and, as the only technical Karnstein, Carmilla was heir to the entire fortune. That she was friends with Laura at all was only a fluke of time and circumstance.
Even rich heiresses ate cupcakes and Laura’s mom had always made the best.
“Plus,” Carmilla said and winked at Laura, “It’s not like I don’t make sure the girls have a good time too. Give them the old Carmilla Karnstein special night before I send them on their way.”
Laura rolled her eyes, “You send them on their way by offending them so badly that they never want to call you again. That’s gross.”
“They’re too clingy otherwise,” Carmilla waved her off.
“They’re clingy anyway. You practically threw up on that one girl because you’d decided to guzzle like a hundred shots and she was still all,” Laura popped off the couch and put a hand to her forehead dramatically, “Oh Carmilla, you’re just so dreamy. You and your face and your bajillion dollars that I’d love to have spent on me.”
JP’s mouth twitched.
Carmilla flicked through the screens of faces, “I did wrack up an impressive credit card bill that night.”
“And then I have the pleasure of seeing your sorry, hungover face sleeping on balcony when I get up in the morning begging me to make her toast and advil because,” Laura popped her hip and tried to make her voice raspy in an imitation of Carmilla, “whoa is me, cupcake. None of the people I pay at my mansion make toast as well as you do and I need your very specific yellow pillow even though I could buy a hundred pillow factories no sweat.”
“I stand by that claim,” Carmilla said, “Nobody makes toast as well as you do.”
“It’s toast! You put it in the toaster and it pops. That’s it.” She gently hip-checked Carmilla to the side and started flipping through the faces, “You can’t possibly have been with all of these women,” she mumbled around the milkshake straw.
She glanced up to see Carmilla grimace.
JP chimed in, “Some of these women are simply non-viable options because they are aware of Miss Karnstein’s reputation and therefore could not be coerced into a date.”
Laura kept flipping through the profiles. Blonde. Brunette. Ginger. Every female face from Silas’s list of who’s who was on the screen. It was the information in the bottom left corner that was more interested to her. ‘Left in a taxi cab’. ‘Didn’t call back’. ‘Got arrested for public indecency’.
She frowned at one and asked, “Why does this say, ‘found naked in a gravel pit with a sword’. I haven’t heard that story. And that sounds like it would be a really really good story. Like the kind you immediately tell when you’re hiding in my crummy apartment because it’s at least going to interesting. Not that your other stories aren’t interesting. It’s just. You know.” Laura trailed off.
“Well,” Carmilla voice was too light, “I need someone in this city to think that I’m not a total waste of time. Can’t be ruining your perception of me with that story, cupcake.” She leaned over Laura and quickly flicked to the next screen.
Moving quickly, Laura caught Carmilla’s wrist before it could retreat. Her touch was light but Carmilla still froze instantly. She spoke quietly, “I’d never think you’re a waste of time, Carm.”
She heard Carmilla swallow.
“I mean that,” Laura said. She looked over her shoulder and peered up with Carmilla. The brown eyes meeting and then whisking away from her own, “Never a waste.”
Finally Carmilla looked at her and gave her a thin smile. She gave no response but when Laura slowly let go of her wrist, Carmilla’s hand briefly touched the small of Laura’s back as she retreated.
Laura was slurping the last bits of her milkshake when Carmilla finally spoke again. She threw herself back in her seat and ran her hand through her hair, “We’re not going to find anyone, are we?”
“You could go alone?” Laura offered, “If it’s just a party or something?”
Carmilla just groaned.
“I’m afraid,” JP said, “That this evening is the corporation's annual ball as run by Carmilla’s mother.”
“Oh.” Laura said. The groaning made sense then. Not only was the ball the largest and most important event of the year but Carmilla’s mother was the whole reason why Carmilla had the parade of girls in the first place. If Carmilla ever showed up anywhere near her mother without a girl on her arm, she immediately had a series of young, ‘eligible’ men shoved at her.
“Yeah,” Carmilla said, her arm covering her eyes as she slumped in the chair, “I’m not really feeling up to the beefcake parade.”
“We only have a few hours,” JP reminded her.
With a few more flicks of the screen, Laura shrugged, steeled herself, and put down the milkshake glass, “So I’ll just go then.”
Carmilla almost dislocated her arm from how fast she whipped it off her head and stood up, “What?”
“I’ll go with you,” Laura repeated, “I mean, it’s me or JP at this point right?”
“Actually,” JP said, “I have a previous engagement this evening.”
“Great. So me then.” Laura said.
Carmilla just stared at her.
“It’s starts at 8 right?” When Carmilla said nothing, Laura looked to JP for confirmation. He nodded. She continued, “So I’ll be back here around 7:30 and we can take that ridiculous limo of yours over to the hall. Sound good.”
Carmilla tilted her head.
Laura bounced on her toes, trying not to feel uncomfortable, “Unless you suddenly want the parade of beefcakes?”
“What? No,” Carmilla finally said, “Of course not. It’s just. You want to be my date?”
Laura shrugged and took a few steps closer, before grinning up at Carmilla, “You’ve been going on and on and on about the Carmilla Karnstein special for years. I want to see exactly what I’ve been missing. And maybe,” she added, going for sultry, “you’ll find out about the Laura Hollis special.”
The wrinkle between Carmilla’s eyes had the sultry vanishing and replaced with a giggle at Carmilla’s confusion.
“It’s my secret toast recipe,” Laura said, “Don’t get too excited there ladykiller.”
With a deep exhale, Carmilla rolled her eyes. Then she took a step into Laura’s personal space, “Oh Miss Hollis,” she rasped and goosebumps raced down Laura’s arms, “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. I could just eat you alive.”
“Possibly.” Laura said, refusing to shrink as Carmilla moved in closer, “But you won’t.”
“And why not?” Carmilla said.
“Because you’re Carm.”
Carmilla raised an eyebrow, still hovering. Her breath on Laura’s face.
“7:30? 7:30. Great time. Glad we decided that.” Laura said quickly, “Okay gotta go. Lots to do. Find a dress. Hair make-up. See you then. Okay. Great. Bye!” She raced from the room, tripping over the doorframe.
She had a date with Carmilla Karnstein.
Her dad was going to just love that.
#
At 7:28 Laura knocked on the mansion door. She clicked her heels together and pulled the thin wrap tighter over her arms before smoothing the deep red fabric of her dress. Then, her hands fiddled with the curled ends of her hair.
Instead of JP, her eyes widened when Carmilla herself appeared at the door. Laura froze for a moment, hand still in her hair as she took in the black slinky number Carmilla was wearing, the dim light of the sunset setting it in a soft shimmer that almost looked like starlight. She’d seen Carmilla get ready for parties before, often helping her pick suits or dresses, but this was different. Carmilla was wearing this to go out with her. Not some other girl. Her.
Laura swallowed. Hard.
Then put on a smile, “Hey, I’m here for the Carmilla Karnstein special?”
She got a smile back, “I think we can do that for you, cupcake. But only because you’re such a long-time friend of family.” Carmilla pulled back the door to let Laura inside. When Laura turned around to face Carmilla again, she found herself face to face with a single small sprig of babysbreath flowers.
The tiny white buds seemed to shake a little in Carmilla outstretched hand.
Laura took them, “Thanks, Carm.”
“You look beautiful,” Carmilla said as though she wasn’t standing in front of Laura in a dress that probably cost several thousand dollars. Instead, Carmilla just smiled at her. The little one where just the edges of smile poked through, the one Carmilla saved for astronomy towers and solariums.
Laura didn’t know what to do with that smile.
So she touched her dress again, “Are you sure this is okay?” she asked, “Cause I know that this is really fancy and I don’t have anything much fancier than this and I don’t want to embarrass you and you always talk about how people pick at every little detail and they’ll know that it’s just like, something Perry made, and I can totally change.”
She squirmed as Carmilla watched her for a moment. Then Carmilla’s hand was on her wrist and sliding into her hand to tangle their fingers. She pulled Laura through the mansion and into her bedroom closet. Laura grimaced. She should have worn a different dress.
“I don’t think I’m going to fit in your stuff,” she muttered, embarrassed, “You’re taller.”
But there was a hand on her face guiding her chin up.
“You look beautiful, Laura. I mean it.” Carmilla said, “Absolutely ravishing. But I want you to feel comfortable.” Carmilla moved towards the safe in her closet, “and you’re right. Those vultures will find something to complain about whether you’re wearing a sack or a million dollar dress.”
“Gee,” Laura said, “Thanks for the confidence boost.”
Carmilla ignored her, “I’ve found that there’s no better way to silence any comments than to wear something that they couldn’t even dream of owning.”
Moving quickly, Carmilla pulled a necklace from the safe. An intricate silver chain with a large red stone hanging from the center. She slipped behind Laura and fastened it around her neck.
Laura could see her in the mirror, black hair cascading down as she fiddled with the delicate clasp. Every stroke of her fingers a caress on Laura’s skin as she brushed Laura’s hair to the side. “I can’t wear this.” Laura said.
“Of course you can,” she couldn’t see Carmilla’s face but she could hear her rolling her eyes, “It was my grandmothers. Been in the family forever. You think I’m going to just let any old girl wear it?” With a click, the necklace was on and Laura couldn’t help her hand going to her throat, flower still between her fingers. Carmilla stepped out from behind her, taking her in, “That necklace has been waiting just for you.”
For a moment Laura let her heart flutter, then she shook her head and let out a shaky laugh, “You’re smooth Karnstein. Very smooth.”
Carmilla’s expression flickered but then she stepped closer, “Then you’ll really like this.” Slowly, she reached out and took Laura’s hand. She raised it inch by inch before gently planting a kiss on her knuckles, then she peered up at Laura over her hand, “I think I’ve been waiting my whole life to see you like this for just one night.”
With the depth in Carmilla’s eyes, it was almost easy to believe.
Diverting, Laura held up her other hand and the flower in it, “I thought you’d be more a fan of roses. I’ve seen you order enough of them. Single stem. Thornless. The whole nine yards. Babysbreath is always more of an ornament.”
“It’s meant to make the other flowers look more beautiful,” Carmilla agreed but something delighted flashed in her eyes, as though she’d been waiting for Laura to comment. Then she plucked the flower from Laura’s hand and tucked it behind her ear.
“I figured nothing could outshine you anyway,” Carmilla said.
Laura blushed.
Laura was so screwed and they hadn’t even left the mansion yet.
#
Laura didn’t know exactly what the Carmilla Karnstein special was but she had never expected this. She’d expected a Carmilla who was all flirty one liners and not-so-subtle gropes.
This was something else entirely.
When they got to the party, Laura nearly tripped and faceplanted as she got out of the limo. Carmilla caught her before she could hit the ground, hauling her to her feet and then tucking her arm around Laura’s side. As they navigated the sea of reporters and flashing cameras, Laura was practically blinded by the sound and the lights. Carmilla never let go of her. If Laura wasn’t mistaken, Carmilla was pulling her in closer and using her own body to keep anyone off Laura who got a little too close.
Laura tucked her face into Carmilla’s neck to avoid the lights and it smelled like leather.
They finally passed through the building doors and Carmilla stopped to readjust the flower in Laura’s hair. “Perfect,” she whispered.
Members of the company board immediately walked up to greet them and after a few moments of small talk, asked if they could speak privately to Carmilla for a moment.
Laura nodded, already removing herself from Carmilla’s arm but Carmilla just grabbed her hand instead. “Anything you want to say, you can say with Laura here,” Carmilla said firmly, “I trust her.”
Eventually, they made their way into the larger ballroom. With her hand in Carmilla’s elbow and Carmilla’s hand covering her own, Laura found herself masterfully moved throughout the room. With every conversation, Carmilla redirected topics to ones that Laura could appreciate and comment on. Somehow she made an entry level position at a local paper sound promising. As they moved through the crowd, Carmilla whispered small tidbits in her ear about this woman’s crazy poodle or that man’s inability to play golf.
Occasionally, Carmilla would stiffen. A tight smile crossing her face when certain people approached and tried to take over the conversation. All of them male. All of them coming from her mother’s direction. With her hand still on Carmilla’s arm, Laura began softly stroking Carmilla’s skin with her thumb until the tension left her shoulders. As she got more confident, Laura began introducing topics of her own every time Carmilla tensed up.
Working at a newspaper was good for something.
Although she may have accidentally accused a politician of money laundering. When they stepped away and she tried to apologize to Carmilla, the other girl had just laughed.
“I can’t wait to see that story soon cupcake,” she said, “let me know if you need me to run interference while you break into his office.”
The tension in her shoulders gone entirely.
Two hours in and they finally had a moment to spare. “Shall I get us something to drink?” Carmilla offered.
Laura nodded before she could think it through and it was only when Carmilla had slipped from her side that she realized she’d likely just agreed to throw back a truly large number of shots. Still, she sighed and stayed put. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d let Carmilla get her plastered. Although it was usually in the safety of the mansion, curled up with disney movies and a big bottle of vodka under a blanket fort.
This was a little different.
“Well now, I can’t say that I expected to see you here darling,” a familiar voice cut in.
Laura’s smile at Mattie was only half-forced, “It was a last minute thing.”
Carmilla’s older half-sister always had a way of making her feel insufficient. “I assumed,” Mattie said, “If the little monster had actually had the courage to ask you on a proper date I’d expect that I would have had to listen to her try and plan it for days on end.” Mattie swirled a glass of blood red wine, “As it is, listening to her hypotheticals about your relationship or lack thereof is simply exhausting.”
Laura’s heart had stopped completely in the middle of her Mattie’s first sentance. Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.
“What?” she managed to choke out.
Mattie rolled her eyes and it looked just like Carmilla, “Oh come now. You have to have noticed the sickening heart eyes that she’s been giving you all the time. Why, this evening alone has been nauseating to watch.”
Laura’s gaze snapped to Carmilla at the bar, just in time to see Carmilla avert her own stare.
“Carm… she doesn’t…” Laura tried.
Mattie booped her on the nose, “Although I must say, moppet, looking at how much more contained Carmilla is tonight, I’d be willing to put up with the nauseous. She’s usually well into her fifth shot by now.”
“She went to get drinks,” Laura said weakly.
“I can see that,” Mattie said. Then she turned away, “Think on what I’ve said darling.”
“Everything okay?” Laura didn’t even know what to do with Carmilla’s voice after everything Mattie had just said. Still, she couldn’t help the smile that it created.
“It’s fine,” Laura said, throat dry, “Mattie was just saying hello.”
Carmilla was still frowning, a cute wrinkle between her eyes, but she held out a glass to Laura. “Sorry it took so long.”
“Champagne?” Laura blurted as she took in the bubbling liquid, “I thought you were getting shots.”
Quickly, Carmilla pulled the glass back, “Oh. Did you want shots? I can get-”
“No” Laura cut her off, “No. It’s fine. I just. Assumed. I mean, that’s your usual go-to for these things right? Five shots and it’s actually tolerable. Ten shots and its a party wherever you are. That’s like your catch phrase or whatever. This is fine. Really. Better. Great even. I don’t really like shots. I just wasn’t expecting this.”
Carmilla had the smile on her face that meant she was holding back a laugh.
Blushing, Laura grabbed the glass and took a gulp.
More delicately and eyes still on her, Carmilla took a sip of her own glass, “I do admit that shots are my usual drink of choice but,” she said, eyes intense, “I promised you the Carmilla Karnstein Special.”
“So no shots?” Laura said.
Carmilla shook her head, “Not in your version.”
Twenty minutes later found Laura pressed tightly to Carmilla on the dance floor, hands together as Carmilla lead her through a waltz. They’d jokingly done it before as children but this was something else entirely.
Carmilla moved her slowly and her breath was warm on Laura’s ear.
They got three songs.
Then it was back to the party.
They’d practically been grabbed by a group of Carmilla’s so-called friends and when Laura turned to speak to one of them, remarking on the beauty of her necklace. One of the girls had somehow managed to wedge her way in between Carmilla and Laura. Clearly drunk. Stumbling forward at the intrusion, Laura turned to find the girl whispering something in Carmilla’s ear.
She could only guess the content from the filthy look on the girl’s face.
Something in Laura’s stomach flipped and she just hoped that Carmilla would leave her the limo to take home.
Instead, Carmilla stepped back and firmly pushed the girl off her before stepping back to Laura’s side and putting a hand on the small of her back. For the first time, leaving it there. Almost possessively.
“I’m with Laura,” Carmilla said.
The girl snorted, “Her? Really?”
Carmilla didn’t even blink, “Yes. Her. Better than anyone else in this room.”
Laura bit her lip at the look of discontent that flashed over the other faces.
“Fiiiiiine,” the girl drawled and looked Laura over, “I suppose we could all give it a whirl. She’s cute enough I guess.”
“Um. No.” Laura piped in after her brain finally caught up, “Like a hundred million times no.”
“Just me and Carmilla then, all the-”
Laura didn’t know what Carmilla had done but suddenly there were two rather large security men flanking the girl. Before they could escort her out, Carmilla took a step forward. Her voice had dipped dangerously low and the hand that wasn’t on Laura’s back was curled into a shaking fist.
“You’re not worthy to even touch her.” Carmilla snarled.
The girl laughed, “Please. You’re the worst of us.”
Carmilla didn’t back down, “I know.”
Then she waved her hand and the girl was taken away. She didn’t look over at Laura, just pressed lightly on her back until they were passing out a back door. Not on her back. On her dress. Never high enough to reach the skin bared by the swoop.
She removed her hands the moment they were alone. “I’m sorry about that,” Carmilla muttered, “I can take you back if you want. Or get the limo to take you.”
Laura shook her head and reached out, taking Carmilla’s still clenched hand and slowly opening her fingers. Then she traced each one up and down with the tip of her finger.
“Only if you want to go too,” Laura said. Then she twisted her hand so that their fingers were interlocked again before pressing her wrist against Carmilla’s. Skin on skin.
“I am sorry,” Carmilla said again.
“I heard you the first time,” Laura said, “And I don’t know why you keep saying it. What that girl said has nothing on you and you’ve been nothing but wonderful all night.”
Carmilla tore her hand from Laura and took a step back. She stared at Laura and then shook her head before running her hand through her hair. “This isn’t how I wanted it to go,” Carmilla said, “This isn’t what I imagined. I’m trying to make it better but I don’t know how to-”
“Don’t know how to what?” Laura prompted.
Carmilla looked away.
So Laura stepped after her, “I don’t know what you’re trying to do Carm but you’ve been wonderful all night. Keeping me from getting lost, staying with me, dancing. I was expecting to spend my night trying to keep you from your eighth shot and saying something terrible into a microphone. Then watching you head off with some girl as I went back to my place until you showed up tomorrow hungover.”
At that, Carmilla looked at her, “Not with you.” Carmilla said, “Not if I’m bringing you.”
“So why not bring me before?” Laura joked, “It would have saved you some hangovers and me some toast.”
But Carmilla was nothing but serious when she answered. All pale skin and dark eyes, “Because a place like this was never what I imagined for our first date.”
Laura felt every breath pull from the pit of her stomach and straight out her mouth. She swallowed, “What did you imagine?”
“Just you and me,” Carmilla said, “Just being us. And we’d go to that crummy arcade that you love with the bumper cars and I’d play skeeball for forty minutes just to get enough tickets to win you one of those overpriced stuffed bears even though I could buy a hundred of them. But I’d win it for you. You’d force me to eat fries and then we’d argue over gravy vs ketchup but then I’d still eat all of the pickles off your hamburger and you’d take my tomatoes. Then we’d go to the car that I”m driving, not a driver, and you’d think we were done but we’d go to the mall and I’d finally make you run up the down escalator like you’ve always wanted to but never had the chance. Then when you got to the top, I might finally have the courage to kiss you.”
Laura definitely wasn’t breathing anymore.
Carmilla took a deep breath and closed her eyes, giving Laura the chance to inch closer, “If I asked you,” Carmilla said, “on that date, what would you say?”
Laura had her hands on Carmilla’s waist before Carmilla could even finish the question. She leaned forward, hands sliding all the way up to cup Carmilla’s face. Then she quickly grabbed the white flower from her own ear and slid it behind Carmilla’s.
“Yes.”
Carmilla opened her eyes and grabbed onto Laura’s wrists as she held her face. Something between fear and smile on her face, “Really?”
Laura was all smiles, “Really. But,” she added, “why wait? I was promised a Carmilla Karnstein special and I think there’s one last piece to that.”
Carmilla smiled and kissed her.