An Unsatisfied State

Chapter 01

It seems extremely unlike his mother to stand him up out of spite for missing her party but the idea grows on Zack more and more as the minutes tick past. A waiter brings a scotch to replace his empty glass. Zack scratches absentmindedly at his neatly trimmed beard, fiddles with the tiny diamond stud in each ear. He'd had his fade touched up today so mama wouldn't hassle him about going out unkept. His intention had been to keep his navy suit jacket on until she arrived but the auditorium is too warm for that so instead it lies neatly behind him on the back of the raised, velvet loveseat he sits on. The sofa is one of dozens inside this hotel hall, each accompanied by a narrow table.

Still no message from mama. Someone nearby is speaking but Zack pays them no attention, at leasts not until he hears a seductive feminine voice say, "...Tanicia White."

Zack looks up from his phone and observes that this remarkably short person with golden tan skin and excessive amounts of long reddish blonde hair is indeed not his mother. Her features are big and striking, but not in an excessive makeup kind of way. As she turns away her wide curls brush her waist, pulling Zack's attention against his will to her perfect curves and toned muscles, down to her high heels that make her legs look longer, which goes to her benefit as she barely comes up to Zack's chin with them on, he realizes when he stands up.

"Yes?" He asks, clearing out the lump in his throat. When she and the usher glance at him without another word he says, "I'm meeting Tanicia White. Where is she?" Still they are quiet and Zack is distracted from the girl's tiny, strappy red dress as he feels dread drop in his stomach like a rock. "Is she okay?"

The girl shakes her head once and says quickly in the same low, provocative voice, "Yes. I'm sure she is. I apologize, you surprised me. I didn't know anyone else was joining us. I'm Desiree." She offers a kind smile but Zack can see that she's startled by his presence, her face gives away everything she's thinking. 'I didn't know anyone else was joining us,' she'd said. This phrase sticks out in Zack's conscious but he's too busy keeping his eyes in appropriate places to know what it means. 'Desiree,' he repeats in his mind. A lovely name for a dazzling girl. It's familiar though, and he follows that train of thought wondering where he's heard it before.

"Wait," he shakes his head in an attempt to focus. "Desiree? Desiree Torres?"

This girl who Zack expects is a teenager in a grown up dress leans lightly against the edge of the loveseat to let some people pass. "Yes?"

Zack's brow shoots up to his hairline and he deliberately descends into his chair, clenching his fists and sitting rigid. His mother's words flood his memory. 'She's perfect for you, baby. You're perfect for each other. Just give her one chance. Give her a call when you come to town. She's such a beautiful girl, baby, you won't be disappointed.'

'What did she say when you asked her to go out with me?' Zack had recently asked, since constantly refusing hadn't worked even after the fiasco with Abby Carlisle.

After some loud clattering in the kitchen that Tanicia used to cover up the fact that she didn't have a good answer, she'd said, 'She will come around, both of you will. You two will hit it off the moment you set eyes on each other, I'm sure of it.'

Suddenly Zack feels sure Desiree is in on the trap. If mama lied about her plans this evening certainly she also lied about Desiree's willingness to be involved. "Did you two concoct this ambush together?" He accuses outright, although quietly so as not to cause a scene, and then carefully watches Desiree's reaction, trying to gauge how much she knows.

Her picture book expression is shocked and hurt, but not mad, not even informed. "What?" She chocks. "What are you-"

"You asked her to set up this date with me," he rephrases, equally accusing, equally observant.