Waxing Love

Waxing Love 6: "Oh, so you're like the mafia."

            Stephen Tatlock left shortly afterwards; apparently he lived in another house, only a short distance away. Meredith sat me down around the kitchen table and made an effort to talk incessantly about anything that came to mind. I suppose she was trying to make me feel welcome and included, and although she failed, I still appreciated the gesture. I left her to do most of the talking, as I was hardly in the mood to chat, but at least listening to trivial conversation was a distraction.

            Eddie and another man, whose name was Mick I learned, went out and brought back pizza. I think I shocked everyone when I gobbled half a large pizza down in record time.

            “What?” I said defensively.

            “I’ve just never seen a girl eat like that. Especially not a human,” Eddie remarked amusedly.

            “I haven’t eaten anything since I had half a bag of crisps on the train yesterday. And before that it was a few hors d’oeuvres the night before. So yes, I’m starving. Give me another slice.”

            “Why didn’t you say anything?” Meredith asked, worriedly. “You didn’t eat anything yesterday?”

            I shrugged. “I couldn’t even finish the bag of crisps, I was so hungover and nauseous.” I took another enormous bite of pizza.

            Eddie laughed. “You had a hangover yesterday? Fun night?”

            “Oh, a blast,” I said, as carefree as possible. “Started at a cocktail party and ended up downing martinis at a bar before going home with the bartender. Pretty good last night of human freedom, I guess.” I took another bite.

            “I’m sorry, you went home with the bartender?” Luke asked, with a mixture of disbelief and anger in his tone.

            “Yup. Why, you think that’s too slutty? Did you want me to be a virgin bride for you? If you don’t want a slut as a mate, you best let me go,” I said in mock concern, before finishing off the last bite of pizza in my hand.

             He scowled at me. I swallowed and smiled sweetly at him. When no one said anything, just sat there fiddling awkwardly with their food, I decided to push things a bit further.

            “You know, I’ve never understood the fascination with virgins. It has to be the worst sexual experience of your normal sex life. It hurts, and when it stops hurting it’s just uncomfortable, and the girl obviously doesn’t climax, and so it’s just awkward for the guy and can’t be very satisfying for him either. Who would want that on their wedding night?”

            Luke rolled his eyes. “No one ever said you had to be a virgin when we mate.”

            “Well, fine. Just as well for you, because I’m not and then you’d have to let me go.”

             “I think one of your ancestors tried that, back in the day,” Sean, another guy who had been mostly silent up until now. “Thought if she wasn’t a virgin, the Tatlocks wouldn’t want her. So she slept around with the gardener, to the outrage of the Llewelyn family, but it still didn’t work, she had to go to the Tatlocks anyway.”

            “Ah, a family history of sexual promiscuity. I like it.” I wiped my greasy fingers on a napkin.

            Eddie tried to hide a grin, but the others either looked angry or shocked. I rolled my eyes. It was almost too easy to mess with them.

            “So, you lead a life of sexual promiscuity, do you?” Eddie asked, looking me up and down with a stupid smirk on his face. I was about to give a joking answer when something that sounded a lot like a animal growl came from Luke’s direction. I looked over at him, confused, but was shocked to see him glaring murderously at Eddie.