Before Phantom; Eric's cheek.

I thought it might be fun to post this scene because it's super cute and it shows the lead up to the Phantom date from the previous post. This scene was written during NaNo last year and is associated with the incomplete works for Operation Osiris - the third book in the Daphne Savoy series I've been working on since the first NaNo I took part in in 2009. 

So, without further adieu, here's a fun little scene at the Met between Daphne and Eric. Oh, and a little bit of fun with Mim the Were-cat, whose grip of modern inventions is...a little behind. 

What's happening: Eric tricks Daph, with the help of the illustrious Roy Fonda, into going on a date the following night to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. 

May the muses be ever with you!

Mara

It was around 5 later that afternoon, and I was standing in the entrance to the Egyptian tomb that the Egyptologists had rebuilt inside of the Met, surrounded by what was essentially an indoor moat.

The sun was starting to set, and we had so far covered the top floor only – deciding to start from the top and work our way down.

Eric had said something similar about what he’d do when he got me alone sometime soon, but I’m not sure he’d known I’d heard him. I hadn’t said so, only gone bright red pretended not to notice. The man was entirely too aware of his effect on me. Give him an inch and he walked all over you.

“How do you like it?”

Eric was leaning against the outer wall of the tomb, waiting as I had stepped through, running my hands along the limestone and pretending I was back in Egypt again. Although it wasn’t all the serene memory I intended, and the feel of the tomb had dredged up memories of the earlier vision of Nailah and Mim.

“It’s strange,” I admitted, coming to stand by him. “It’s like I’ve been here before – and I don’t mean the Met.”

He nodded his agreement and sighed. “I thought you might say that. I feel it too.”

Eric and I had never really talked that much about what had happened in my flat with Mim, and as far as I’d know whatever memories of the Jackal leader, Danukaric, that Eric might have possessed were so far deep in his subconscious that nothing short of a lobotomy was going to bring it out of him. But a part of me was afraid that Mim might have been right, and that part had had a hand in making me leave Eric.

That part seemed to be getting stronger, too, spurned by moments like these.

“Do you know why?”

“No. But I was hoping you might.”

I looked at him in shock, head spinning so fast my hair flicked across my shoulders to spill over the opposite side. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Daph, you know I remember what happened at your place; you know as well as I do that there’s something happening to us and everyone around us, that it has been since we left Ye Vanck Amun’s tomb.”

It was my turn to sigh, and I put a hand to his bicep. “Something did happen, Eric – something really bad, and I don’t know what to do. Everything is so weird.”

Then I was in his embrace, his arms closing around me and it felt so much like I was coming home. I had missed him so much, I had never wanted to leave him.

“Why won’t you let me help? Why do you think you have to face it on your own?”

And that was all it took to ruin the moment; all my reasons for leaving flooded back: Mim’s warning, what happened in Paris, Adarian’s threats.

I pushed him away and took a big step back, suddenly aware that my eyes were starting to fill up. Stepping away had been like losing a piece of my soul. “No. We can’t, Eric. We really can’t.”

He tried to pull me back again, but I sidestepped him and bolted, running away from him and out of the room.

I realised as I rounded the corner that he still had my files, and I groaned, slapping a hand to my forehead. But I was too proud to turn around and go back, so I decided to head for his office myself.

It took nearly half an hour again to find it; the Met was like a maze of epic proportions. I had spend fifteen minutes in the armour hall, trying not to have a panic attack at the sight of all those mannequins and humanoid figures, before I could even find my way out. I finally got back to the office to find Eric once again slouched nonchalantly in his chair, feet up on the desk and a cup of coffee in his hand.

Black, the way he liked it.

Internally I was throwing a tantrum, but on the outside I remained composed and mature.

“Been here long?”

“Mm, about twenty-five minutes? Not too long.”

The jerk must have gone straight there after I’d run off, anticipating that I’d try to get the files back on my own.

“Can I have the files?”

“What will you give me?”

How about a punch upside the head? “My gratitude? And I won’t report you to the board for sexual harassment.”

“How about a date? It occurred to me, while I was sitting here drinking my coffee and waiting for you to find your way back to the office, that we have never really been on a real date.” He put the coffee down on the table, removed his feet and leant forward in the chair, steepling his hands like a mob-killer. “I will give you your files if you agree to go on one with me.”

I opened my mouth to dispute him, but no sound came out as I was suddenly aware that he was right. We’d gotten together right after the ado in Egypt and although we’d been out just the two of us since then, it had never really been a date.

Even so it was on the tip of my tongue to deny him, and when I opened my mouth again to do just that, what actually came out was: “What sort of a date?”

Eric lowered his hands and smiled, teeth barred like a wolf because he knew he had me. “Dinner and a show? Roy told me how excited you were to take on Broadway.”

I was going to kill him. “We already bought tickets though.”

Eric’s smile never faltered. “On the contrary, Roy purchased a set for me. I told him not to tell you.”

There he was being an arrogant ass again. “Presumptuous, much? What if I had said no?”

“I knew you wouldn’t.”

            “When then?”

            “Tomorrow night, we’re going to see Phantom.”

            I cursed when I realised that Phantom was booked for the following night, the second of our Broadway tour after Hairspray. I was so going to kill Roy.

“Alright,” I groaned and held out my hand to him. “Deal. Now give me the files back.”

            “Nah uh, we aren’t sealing this with a handshake.” And a split second later he was on my side of the desk, arm around my back and lips slanting over mine.

            He’d released me before I had a chance to react, deposited the files into my limp arms, patted me on the head and pushed me to the door.

            “Until tomorrow night, love.”

            The door slammed shut behind me and for a moment I just started at it in stunned silence.

Had that really just happened? Had I really just agreed to go on a date with the one man in New York City I simultaneously wanted with all my soul and was doing my damned best to stay away from?

What the hell was wrong with me?

I looked down at the brightly coloured files that had gotten me into this mess in the first place. “There had better be a test on all this, that’s all I’m saying. Stupid files, stupid Eric!”

Feeling sufficiently used and abused, I stormed towards the exit – daring the fates to let me get lost again.

Funnily enough, I didn’t.

By the time I got back to the Plaza and was soaking in a bubble bath specifically designed to calm the muscles aching from carrying the files so far, I was no closer to being less pissed off, and not even the thought of getting dressed up and seeing a show was helping.

I imagined Roy thought he was helping his pal, Eric, but I was going to knock his pearly whites out when he came to pick me up in an hour. Or I was going to tell that blonde he’d met that Roy had herpes. Or lice.

Something icky.

James was drifting in an out of the bathroom, reading Arthur Conan Doyle with pipe in hand, and occasionally marvelling over something amusing that Holmes had said.

I’d have asked him to read it aloud to me if the only thing between him and him seeing me in all my naked glory was something more substantial than a couple of bubbles.

I had my hair up on top of my head to keep it from getting wet, and closed my eyes. The hot water was finally starting to soothe me and I sighed.

It had already been a long day – overnight flight from London, full day of sightseeing and Museum activities. And that wasn’t even including the disturbing imagery of Nailah’s final moments, Adarian’s surprise visit or Eric’s mind games.

None of which I had told Mim about yet, even though he was stretched out on my bed filtering through some New York brochure he’d pilfered from the lobby.

From what I’d gathered of what James told me, after my anger over the spooked maid incident, Mim had gone downstairs in human form to patrol the perimeter – despite my warning.

Whilst down there, he’d dazzled a couple of the hotel maids with his brash masculinity and aloof, and they’d all offered their help when he’d asked for maps of the city. Which was why he now had about five different maps, a collection of tourist brochures, and a bunch of vouchers for free stuff. I’d told him off, but was secretly pleased for the promise of free stuff. Poor girls didn’t even know what hit ‘em.

I waited for James to drift out again, scowling over some section of the text, before raising from the tub and wrapping a towel around my body. I’d hung my dress on the back of the door with my underthings beside it, assuring I could just get dressed in here and preserve at least some dignity for today.

Since it was Broadway, the idea was to suit up in style, and the dress I’d chosen for night one was a sleek emerald green satin A-line skirt with an empire waist. It was retro looking, perfect for the 1960’s theme of the musical.

I dried off and had the dress zipped up before James floated back in, book gone and pipe replaced with what looked like a small foil packet.

“Mimotosef has asked me to bring you this – one of the girls he spoke to this afternoon gave it to him, and told him it was for pleasure and relaxation.”

I opened my hand to accept what James offered, and looked down at it in confusion. Realisation dawned, and with it the utter hilarity of the situation made me burst out in a fit of laughter.

In my hand was an unopened condom packet.

Apparently one of the girls had given Mim the ultimate come on, and he hadn’t even realised. 

James’ eyes twinkled in amusement as I had to hold my sides to keep them from splitting, and threw open the bathroom door to point at Mim, who looked up from when he was on the bed in confusion.

“Did you not like my gift, Priestess?”

“Mim, this is a condom!”

“I do not understand.”

I laughed harder.

“Priestess, I do not understand what is so amusing.”

“Mim,” I said breathlessly, between giggles. “The girl who gave you this...meant for you to sleep with her! She...fancies you!”

Mim gazed back, perplexed. “Sleep with?”

“Have sex, mate with, make love to! She wanted you to be her lover!”

Mim’s eyes widened in sudden understanding, the image only making me laugh even harder, and rose to his feet. “Forgive me, Priestess! I did not mean to encourage those maidens!”

James, who had followed me back into the bedroom when I’d bolted out of the bathroom, rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Relax, Mim, you are only encouraging her to laugh more.”

“But I do not make love to maidens when I am protecting my Priestess!”

“Oh my god, stop!”

“Mimotosef, we are aware. Madam Priestess is only amused at your failure to comprehend modern invention – the ‘gift’ you gave is used to prevent pregnancy during intimacy.”

Mim’s eyes shifted to me, then back to James, and he asked: “But how?”

“I don’t quite understand myself, they are after my time, but from what I observed of Daphne and her beau what happens is –

            “Argh! James, shut up!” Suddenly, it wasn’t so funny anymore and I clapped a hand to my forehead. “Not the kind of thing to share!”

            “Red? What are we sharing?” Roy’s voice drifted through the doorway.

            “Argh! You two be quiet!” I hissed at the duo, then raced from the bedroom and pulled on my coat. As I moved to open the door to Roy, I realised that the condom was still in my hand and hastily shoved it into my pocket.

            “Mimotosef, I will explain later...”