Taken (Dark Desires 1)

“Well, I wish I looked that good when I was yawning.” Diamond said, elongating her mouth out extra wide, bugging her eyes and stretching her arms over her head. Of course, we both laughed. It was interesting to me. I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time. I hadn’t realized but the last time I cracked up was when I was with Marty. But we weren’t talking about Marty right now. We were talking about Joshua. Or were we talking about Marty? No. We were talking about Joshua, the newspapers and the constant stream of undertakings that were becoming more of an annoyance than adventures.

“Yeah, well, it has been amazing but…”

“But what?” Diamond asked, taking a quick drink of water. We had slipped into a greasy spoon diner, took a booth in the back and waited on a couple of cheeseburgers to arrive while we caught up.

“Last weekend,” I started. “Joshua told me not to make any plans. He’s been telling me this for the past several weekends, Di. Every weekend he’s got something planned and…”

“And that’s bad?”

I took a deep breath.

“No. We flew in his private jet to Aruba.”

“I thought you looked tan.”

“Yeah. And then we spent a weekend in Aspen."

"Aspen? Do you know how expensive it is there? I take that back. Do you know how expensive it is just to get there? It’s straight up a flipping mountain!”

Diamond was laughing at me.

“You’re afraid of heights.” She said pointing her finger at me. “Didn’t you tell him?”

“Of course I did. But he would just kiss me and then…I’d forget and just…you know.”

“Okay, my sympathy meter isn’t really budging off the zero line.”

“And then there are the presents.”

Diamond’s smile fell from her face. She leaned in closer. Folding her hands in front of her she whispered.

“What presents? And don’t say it too loud or someone might follow you home, clunk you over the head and steal them. That someone might be me. Did I say that out loud?”

“Well, he thought I needed some new clothes for work and for each of the trips we’ve gone on.” I took a drink of water. “I now have eight bathing suits. I’ve got half a dozen cocktail dresses that I’ve only worn once and don’t have any idea where I’d wear them again. I’ve got three new watches, one more sparkly than the next. And this.” I held out my wrist and pulled up my sleeve.

Within an instant my wrist seemed to grab every ray of light and bounce it back into space, twinkling and blinking as each round diamond on the tennis bracelet shimmered brightly regardless of the dim lighting in Standees Diner.

“Oh my gosh.” Diamond took my hand and pulled it closer to her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many diamonds all together in my life. This could choke a pig.”

“Right?”

“And so, what is the problem?”

I swallowed hard. I pulled my hand back and covered up the bracelet under my sleeve.

“He has a brother.”

“So. Is he single? Can you hook me up? It would be the least you could do considering I am your best friend and I did save your life.”

“When did you ever save my life?”

“That time you almost gave that homeless guy your phone number.”

“Sean wasn’t homeless. He was a street performer. He did freelance work. He said he lived in one of those tiny-houses, you know. Smaller than a studio?”

“Is that was the local transients are calling their cardboard boxes these days. Tiny-houses? I saved your life. That guy was nothing but trouble. I could tell. Saved your life.”

“Well, believe me, I would fix you up if his brother wasn’t…Marty.”