Chapter Twelve
Violet
Violet grumbled the entire time she stood outside of Frank’s house. She couldn’t believe him. Just who did he think she was? She was just barely getting the hang of this dragon business, and now he’s looking at her with hopeful eyes with the idea of dragon babies?
She shook her head. He was crazy and worse, rude. Yes, she stormed out. So? She was standing on his front porch after a night of passionate lovemaking. He should be out here. Even if she wouldn’t talk to him, he could have waited with her to make sure she got off okay.
Violet couldn’t help thinking she looked like the stereotypical morning after in her wrinkled dress and knotty hair. She tried to comb through it with her fingers, but it was no match. Between the makeup and her hair, she couldn’t hide what had happened.
She checked her phone for the time again and noticed her battery was half dead but still decided to call Claire.
“Hello?” she said with an attitude.
“What’s crawled inside of you?” Violet asked with just as much sass.
“Somebody keeps popping up uninvited.” She sounded like she was talking more to someone else than she was talking to Violet.
“Well then tell them off,” Violet said. “You of all people know how to do that well.”
“I already did,” she sassed, “yet they’re still here.” Violet could practically feel Claire scowling. “Anyways. What’s up?”
“Frank!” she said as if that should explain it all.
“What now?” She sighed.
“He’s crazy!” she said trying not to lift her voice. “This accountant has lost his mind, talking about I’m a fire maiden, and I can have his babies, and he doesn’t understand what he said wrong.”
“Oh, my god,” Claire said.
“What?”
“You had sex with him.”
It was a statement, and Violet realized her silence was an answer. It wasn’t that she was hiding it, but she liked to wait to process things. In her anger, she called Claire before she had time to herself to process it and decide how she felt about the entire thing.
If it hadn’t been for the last thirty minutes, she would have felt amazing about it. The sex was off the charts. Frank by himself was a hunk of man, but Frank naked was some form of demigod that should be illegal, but he was in bed with her acting like she was the sexiest thing he ever saw. He made her feel loved and she wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“Vi,” Claire said.
“Yeah?”
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” Violet said, not sure what else to say.
“Was it bad or something?”
“No!” she said, alarmed that anyone might think Frank didn’t know how to put it down. He did. He was lethal with his tongue and hands. “I just… I’m not sure how to feel.”
“Well, that’s normal when you have a boyfriend.”
Wait. What?
“Frank’s not my boyfriend,” she said just as the taxi pulled up.
The guy didn’t come around to open her door or say hello. She opened her door and climbed in to find him staring at her.
Claire snorted. “Girl, please. You had sex with him, you. If this was anyone else, I might let it slide, but that is firm proof he is your boyfriend. In addition to you accepting all his flaws, AKA the dragon gene and his temper. Where are you right now?”
Violet ignored the driver, choosing to buckle herself in and double check she had money in her purse. “I’m in a taxi, in front of his house,” Violet admitted reluctantly, and Claire laughed.
“Exactly. That man is your boyfriend.”
“Okay. Fine,” she huffed, watching his house disappear in the rear mirror. “Look I just got in the taxi. Let me talk to you later,” she said, and Claire agreed. Discretion was important in these situations.
“See you when you get here,” Claire said before hanging up.
The taxi driver continued to stare in curiosity, not in impatience and she struggled not to frown at him. What was his deal?
He didn’t look like anyone she knew, and therefore, couldn’t figure out why he would stare without saying anything.
“Leaving a friend’s?” he asked, and she couldn’t help thinking how rude.
“Something like that.” What she was doing at Frank’s house was none of his business.
“Tough day?” he said still trying to make conversation.
“Something like that,” Violet said, hoping he’d get her point. This wasn’t confessional. “I’d like to go the Crystalline Aurora.”
He nodded. “Okay,” he said pulling out of Frank’s driveway slowly as if he was trying to see all he could, which was weird, as well. Frank’s house was big but not that big of a deal. “That in Arkala? Downtown?”
“Yeah.”
“Can do, miss,” he said finally getting the hint in her one-word answers and turned forward to drive. For the rest of the drive, she was lost in her thoughts.
“Would you like me to wait for you?” he said pulling in front of Claire’s store.
“No thank you,” she said pulling out her money. She had no plans to tell that man what she was doing or asking him to stay. Claire would give her a ride, and if needed, she would call someone else, not Nosey Nelson here.
Violet paid the taxi and walked into the shop to find Claire lighting incense. “Sit down,” Claire said pointing to the big chair in the corner.
Violet ignored her, rummaging through her desk until she found an extra toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Be right back,” she said going to the small bathroom to try and tame the mess she was.
When she came back, she felt better. Her mouth was clean, the makeup smudges were gone, and her hair was tamed into a bun on top of her head. Claire was finished with the incense and waiting for Violet, stirring a cup of tea.
“Here,” she said, and once Violet took it, Claire sat on the edge of her chair, leaning forward, staring intently at Violet while she sipped her lemon tea.
Claire stared so hard, Violet finally said, “You want to tell me why you’re being so weird.”
“I’m not. I’m just looking,” Claire said, still scanning Violet.
“For what?” Violet was about to scream. It seemed everybody was being rude.
“Your mark,” Claire said, pulling Violet to her feet and pushing Violet’s hair to the side to see her neck.
“Not you, too,” she huffed. “Jesus Christ. Why is this stupid mark such a big deal?”
“You know why.” Claire pushed up Violet’s shirt.
Violet pushed it back down and slapped Claire’s hand. “Would you stop?”
“Not until I see it.”
“Why?” she screamed. “You big weirdo. Cut it out.”
“Violet,” Claire said no longer, accosting her though it was clear she wasn’t going to give up. “I have been your best friend for almost twenty years and have seen you undress and in bathing suits too many times to count. How is it that you have a birthmark, especially the same one I have on my body and I have never seen it?”
Violet shrugged and flopped back into her chair. “Probably because it’s somewhere intimate,” she lightly unveiled.
Claire’s eyes widened. “Like super private?”
“Like butt cheek private.” Violet crossed her legs.
“I still want to see it,” Claire sat perched on the edge of her chair as if wanting to be ready in case Violet decided to run away.
“You are such a weirdo.” Violet rolled her eyes. “I am not pulling my pants down for you.”
“You’re not wearing any pants,” Claire said rolling her eyes back. “Seriously, Vi. This is your life. Don’t you want to be sure? Let me double check. I have lived with this mark, and I know how it can change your life. Just show me,” Claire said.
Violet groaned aloud but stood and pulled up her wrinkled dress. “I will never forgive you for this,” she said pushing her panties to the side. “Frank said it was here.”
Claire gasped. “You’re a maiden.”
“Goddamn it.” Violet threw her dress down and herself into the chair.
“Let me get you something a little stronger,” Claire said going forward to grab her hidden stash of mini scotch bottles. She handed her two bottles, and Violet poured one into her tea.
“You know what that means, right?”
“Sort of.” Violet shrugged, grimacing as she swallowed her tea, alcohol mixture. “You said it means I can have dragon babies. Frank says it means I probably won’t die giving birth and if we don’t have sex on a dragon year, our kids will be fire-blooded.”
“That’s the gist of it.” Claire nodded.
“Well, then, that’s it.” She sighed. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“Right now, I think you could do with a little girl support.”
Claire tapped her phone, doing something before putting it back into her pocket. “Jill and Mon are on the way,” she said. Violet nodded in gratitude and took another sip of her concoction.
When Jill and Monica came in, they each responded in the way Violet needed. Monica ran to Violet’s side reaching for her hand, and Jill sat beside Claire while asking one question, “What do you need?”
Violet sighed. “I don’t know. I just want to talk.”
“Okay.” Monica rubbed her hand. “Catch us up.”
“Violet’s boyfriend is already talking about babies and Vi isn’t even sure she wants to have them,” Claire explained intentionally leaving out the dragon bit.
“Wow,” Monica said with understanding. “isn’t it a bit soon? I mean, I didn’t know you were official yet.”
“It’s still new. We just confirmed it,” Violet said, trying to reign in her panic.
“That’s understandable.” Jill reached across to hold Violet’s hand, “but the time has come, honey. If he’s asking, you should start thinking.”
Violet had thought those things through. Of course, she wanted kids. Most women did. Though she understood every woman had to choose whether or not they wanted kids but this was much more complicated than that. This was her having dragon babies. That was not even in the same ballpark as the other topic.
“Do you want kids?” Monica asked with hopeful eyes.
“Of course, I want kids!” she said throwing herself back into the chair.
“Then what’s the problem, girlfriend?” Jill leaned back into her chair as well.
Violet caught Claire’s weary glare and remembered she couldn’t say everything she wanted to say. This was beginning to feel like a bad idea. She needed to talk to someone else about this. Someone who understood both sides of the argument.
“I’m not sure if I want to have kids with him.”
That was the crux of the matter.
“Oh,” Monica’s said standing from where she was crouched in front of Violet. “Well, that’s not something we can help you decide, honey. You need to think on that yourself. Come on, Jill.” She moved toward the door. “We need to leave Violet to think.”
“We can’t leave her here,” Jill said standing but not moving. “If we leave her with Claire, who knows when she’ll have a moment to think for herself?”
“Hey!” Claire said. “I resent that.”
Monica nodded, ignoring Claire’s comment. “True. Come on, Vi.” She beckoned with her hand. “You’re going home.”
Violet sighed because she was already tired and she knew they were right. She stood before Claire with her arms open, and Claire stepped into her embrace. “Love you, Claire Bear. See you tomorrow when I open,” she said before walking out with Jill and Monica.
It didn’t hit Violet until she was halfway home that she could call Desmond. He understood both sides of the story, and he had told Violet when they met at the club that she could call him for anything. He gave her his card, and at the time she hadn’t taken him seriously, but since the bar encounter, she had seen him once when he came to check out her store and another time when he seemed to be browsing Claire’s store.
She decided he could be trusted and dialed the number on his card.
Desmond answered quickly, “Hello.”
“Hey, Desmond. It’s Violet.”
“Violet,” he gasped. “I didn’t think you would take me up on my offer. To what do I owe this surprise?”
“I need to talk to someone,” she moaned.
Violet hoped she didn’t come to regret talking to Desmond about this. He was Frank’s best friend, after all. This could be right or turn out to be horribly wrong.
“Well, talk away. I’m all ears,” he said, like he was a regular gossip queen.
“It’s Frank!”
“As I suspected. Tell me more. If I recall correctly, you were supposed to go on a date.”
“We did, but that’s not why I’m calling.”
“Then tell me what’s the problem,” Desmond said.
“According to him, I’m a fire maiden.”
“Well, that’s a pleasant turn of events. I have to say, I didn’t see that one coming.”
“And Claire confirmed it,” Violet said.
“Even better,” he said with interest. “And I’m sure Frank took it very well.”
“About as well as a kid in a candy store. He all but wrote the babies’ names down.”
Desmond laughed out loud. “And you don’t see too pleased by that.”
“Of course, I’m not. He just assumed because I can carry his babies that I want to.”
“And the plot thickens,” Desmond added, encouraging her to continue.
“I mean, I’m not saying I wouldn’t want to have babies with Frank but dragon babies… I mean, that’s just an entirely different thing. People talk about that kind of thing, you know? Well, human couples do. It’s not just assumed like some weird sense of duty.”
Desmond giggled. He actually giggled, and Violet growled. “This isn’t funny, Desmond.”
“Oh, yes, it is,” he said, which made Violet growl again. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t help myself. This is too perfect.”
“How is me being mad perfect?” Violet was sure her face was red.
“Because I think Frank needs someone like you. That fire will push him to be more…”
“More what?” Violet said.
“More everything, honey. He’s used to getting things his way, and it’s nice to know the one he chose won’t be a pushover.”
Violet couldn’t help taking that as a compliment.
“Look,” he continued, “just because you can have children doesn’t actually guarantee that you will. All relationships are a gamble, dear one. You just have to decide if he’s worth the risk,” he said before hanging up.
Violet’s mouth hung open as she stared at the phone and then sucked her teeth, mad that she couldn’t slam the phone down. Sometimes, the thin, sleek design of the newer phones was frustrating. There was something so satisfying about slamming a phone closed or down on the phone base.
With nothing else to do, she decided to lose herself in her work. She did have work to do, and that was more important than calling her boyfriend. At least that’s what she told herself.