Cursed

Chapters 7-9

Chapter 7

Satine was seated opposite Quinnlan Laroche at dinner, which would have been fine, or at least bearable, if he would not have tried to engage her in conversation the entire time. By the time she and Kat arrived in the dining room, almost everyone was there. Her mom and dad greeted her with enthusiasm and hugs, very happy to see Kat again as well. Matthew and Vivian Tierney were looking as stunning as ever, both dressed casually yet appropriately, her mother's black dress matching her hair. Both dark-haired and smooth skinned, it was no wonder the Tierneys' children looked as they did. Satine glanced at her brother. Max had cleaned up and even managed to find a pair of pants that didn't have holes and rips everywhere. Their parents must be so proud.

Satine made the rounds with the kitchen staff, who were pretty much extended family by now, and by the time she finally got to her seat, Quinn had arrived. She did her very best to address him with as much courtesy as possible, however the mood in the room—or at least hers anyway—had greatly diminished with his presence.

After trying unsuccessfully to engage her in constant conversation (she had to eat some time, didn't she?), Quinn turned his attention to Kat. Satine had to work very hard to keep a straight face when he didn't seem to pick up on her friend's sarcasm, instead only giving her a slightly puzzled look and turning to compliment the chef.

Quinnlan Laroche was by no means an ugly man. He had strong features and wavy sandy blond hair that looked to have more product in it than Satine cared to think about. There was no wanting to run her fingers through that hair at all. They'd probably get repelled by some security coat or caught up in concrete gel anyway.

He was tall and in good shape, a complete gentleman throughout the meal. Clearly, he'd been brought up for fancy diners and dining with royalty. Satine reserved judgment on the sincerity of his gestures for the moment.

"I do hope Desmond finds something to eat," her mother said as they moved onto dessert. "I still feel guilty for eating without him."

"Oh don't worry about Des," Quinn said with a laugh. "He always finds something to do with himself."

"Well if he went to town with Dori," Max said, grinning mischievously, "I'm sure he won't have to do it alone."

"I just hope he's able to escape before the week is up," their father said, matching his son's amusement. "Sweet girl, that Dori, but a little scatterbrained if I do say so myself."

"Oh stop it, you two," his wife scolded, lightly slapping him on the arm. "That's not nice. Dori is a lovely girl."

Satine met Max's eye and tried not to laugh when he mimicked Dori's batting eyes. She wondered how long Dori had lived in town. She didn't remember her growing up.

"Lovely," Quinn said, politely wiping his mouth with his cloth napkin. "Lovely indeed."

Thus, the evening proceeded until it was finally time to call it a night. Sensing that Quinn was waiting to escort her back to her room, Satine lingered long after both Max and Kat had excused themselves. When it finally became apparent that Satine wanted to be alone with her parents, Quinn finally got up, bowed, once again complimented the lovely meal, and bid everyone a good night.

Satine watched him go, waiting until she was sure he was out of earshot, then turned back to her parents and asked, "Really?"

Her father quickly held up a hand. "Now before you say anything, just hear me out."

"But—"

"Two minutes, that's all I'm asking."

"Please dear, your father isn't trying to be impossible."