A Vampire's Dealbreaker

Chapter 14

Edited - 4.17.13

Chapter 14

Jesse smiles to a man dressed in a black suit. "Melad," Jesse says and the man smiles. He tells us to follow him. He leads us to an elevator and gestures for us to enter. We step in and the doors close. The elevator moves upwards and we stop on the second level.

The doors slide open and reveal a door with Le Jules Verne written above it. We walk up to the door and two men open them for us. We smile at them and step inside.

We are greeted by a brunette woman dressed in a waiter's uniform. "Bonjour! Bienvenue sur Le Jules Verne," she says and smiles widely. Hello! Welcome to Le Jules Verne.

"Merci. Une table pour deux. C'est sous Melad," Jesse says fluently. Thank you. Table for two. It's under 'Melad'. She smiles and says, "Par ici." Right this way.

We follow her through the maze of tables filled with people smiling and talking. We stop at a table with two seats. It is out on the patio and we are facing the Seine River, or Le Seine. The lights of the city shine brightly across the river and on the riverwalk that is lit with streetlamps.

Our table already has a wine bottle and I smirk, knowing that it's blood. Jesse pulls my chair out for me and I sit down. He sits in his chair. The waitress opens the bottle and pours the blood into our glasses. We smile at her and she leaves.

I look out over the river and say, "I can't believe we're in Paris." The view takes my breath away and Jesse looks at me. I look back at him and he smiles. The cool wind blows gently through my hair and I close my eyes at the wonderful feeling.

Jesse stares at me and I blush. The waitress comes back with a basket of garlic bread and she runs back to the kitchen. "I already ordered dinner. I hope you don't mind garlic chicken," he says and smiles. I smile back, letting him know I don't mind.

"So when can I start training for my powers?" I ask him, curious.

"Well, we could start right now, actually," Jesse says and leans back, arm over the back of his chair and his gaze out towards the river. The full moon shines brightly onto the river.

I remain quiet and he looks at me expectantly. "Well...what do I do?" I ask him.

"Think really hard about someone. Think about what it is you want to do with them, whether it be reading their mind or controlling them," he says.

I think about what he says and then slowly search the room for someone. Jesse leans closer and says, "Try reading his mind." He points to a nervous-looking young guy with slicked-back black hair and a black goatee. He is eating with a beautiful blonde woman.

I swallow hard and take a deep breath. I concentrate on the man, thinking about being inside of his mind. I find myself pressing hard into his thoughts...

I should propose now. No, as soon as she finishes her wine.

I jolt back into my mind and look to Jesse, shocked.Jesse is looking at me, wide-eyed and lips slightly parted in shock. "Did I...?" I say before Jesse nods his head and says surprised, "Yea. You, uh, you just read that guy's mind. On your first try." He runs his hand through his hair and lets out a long breath.

I sit there, not sure what to do. Surely it's good I could read the guy's mind, but I'm concerned as to why Jesse looks so...shocked, I guess. He even looks a little jealous perhaps, or maybe even nervous.