Life After Dark: Book Two of the Dark Series

Chapter 112

~ New Year's Eve: Remembrance of Things Past? ~

The pair dragged their exhausted bodies and aching feet across the threshold. The older and taller of the pair slammed and locked the door behind them as the younger and shorter one collapsed on the first piece of furniture she could find.

Resting the back of her head against the armrest of the loveseat, Elizabeth closed her eyes. She was vaguely aware that her toes had followed her silent plea to push her trendy pair of Sketchers off her feet. With a low moan, she snuggled deeper into the plush sofa. "This feels heavenly," she sighed with a faint smile on her full lips.

Simone regarded her niece with a smile and playful shake of her head. She, too, plopped down on the sofa, which faced the loveseat. She had half a mind to remove her shoes, too, but she knew if she made that move, she'd be down for the rest of the afternoon. She didn't want to spend her first (well, the first one that she would remember) visit to the Big Apple stretched out asleep. There were sites she wanted to see, food she wanted to eat, and maybe even a stroll through Central Park that she wanted to take. She knew from first-hand experience that life was short and with that knowledge, she planned to live it to the fullest.

After extending her long arms in an invigorating stretch, she became determined to get off her butt and do something. She rose from the sofa, carefully stepped over Liz's outstretched feet, and went into the bedroom section of the suite. When the trip was first suggested, John had offered them a two-bedroom suite, which Simone had quickly declined. Having him cover the majority of the trip was bad enough, but she could not allow him to pay more than what was necessary. He had protested, as she knew he would, but she had remained firm. In the end, Simone was victorious.

She went to the closet and was relieved to see that their luggage had not been disturbed. She had a few misgivings about complete strangers going through her belongings and arranging them for her, so she had refused to relinquish the key. After John's tour of the City and their own private adventure after he had left them to attend to business, Simone welcomed the small task of unpacking her suitcases. She liked it so much that she even began to tackle Liz's once she was done with her own.

Simone's movements were almost robotic as her mind began to travel. Her first thought was of her relationship with John. Since their meeting, they had become quite close. She considered him a friend, and although there were times when he could be rather overbearing, she enjoyed his company. Their level of intimacy hadn't progressed any further than handholding and chaste kisses on the cheek, but lately, she found herself becoming curious as to what "more" would feel like. Intercourse was the furthest thing on her mind, but she had imagined if his lips would be as soft on her lips as they had been on her cheek or her hand. She knew that John wondered the same (if not more), but just like the gentlemen she knew him to be, he had never forced the issue.

A slight chill swept through her and her heart began to race. Dropping Liz's brown cashmere sweater back into the suitcase, Simone closed her eyes and forced herself to regulate her breathing. Another spell, she thought. Another one where she wouldn't remember anything concrete. Over the last few days, she had begun to get a sense of something...as if something was right there, waiting for her to see it and then, just as soon as it came, it disappeared. The episodes frustrated her to no end. After complaining to Gail, the two women had decided to try a hypnosis session when she came back. Simone had wanted to go for it then, but Gail had been adamant in her refusal. She had wanted Simone to give her mind one last chance to come through on its own before they began to "coerce" it. Tenacity and age had won that battle between them, and Simone had made an appointment for her first section for after the New Year. Gail had nodded her approval with a smile.

The deep breaths returned her heartbeat back down to normal, but the exercise did nothing to quiet her unease. Vigorously shaking her head, Simone decided that she would focus on something else. If the memory wouldn't come, she refused to be a slave to it. She reached into the suitcase and grabbed a armful of clothing. As she closed her hand over the various outfits, her fingertips swept over something cold and hard. The clothing fell from her arms again as she closed over the small object. A frown creased her brow as her brown eyes began to sizzle. "Elizabeth!" she called as her eyes rested on the switchblade which rested in the palm of her hand.