The Golden Rule

Chapter Seven: Copper

JAMES

"So... he's not your boyfriend?" Charmaine Van Chopin tilted her head and her waves of pink hair fell across her right shoulder. She wore a silk blue robe with a high feathered collar that only barely cover her lacey undergarments.

Charmaine was enjoying brunch on the balcony when James arrived.

In front of them both sat a little plate of heart shaped waffles, bacon, and toast and while her plate had been reduced to crumbs, his food had gone cold. At least the coffee was still warm. He sat the mug down with a sigh.

"No Charmaine," he had to tell her for the hundredth time. "Eric isn't my boyfriend."

"No need to get huffy," she pouted, slouching in her seat. "You have to understand my confusion!" She threw her hands up and shouted so maybe the whole city could hear her, "He crashed a car to get to you!"

"I'm sorry about that again."

"No! No!" Charmaine insisted, sitting upright again as her eyes sparkled. She folded her fingers together as if in prayer to rest her chin. "I think it's so wonderfully romantic. If a guy crashed into a car to save me, I would-"

"But I didn't need saving," James reminded her. He didn't mean to come off so cross. Maybe it was the tissue paper shoved up his nose to stop the bleeding or maybe it was the crick in his neck, but James' temper felt short. Everything was making him angry. The clear sky, the towering skyscrapers around them and especially Charmaine's fancy hotel room was annoying. Just being inside the Grand Mystic Hotel again was like revisiting a nightmare.

To think, he almost considered Eric Silva. He almost agreed to go on a date with a werewolf. Well, he dodged that bullet. He was reinstating his golden rule right now. He'll tattoo it to his arm, over his heart or across his forehead, whatever he needed to do to remind himself that he should not date werewolves!

Smiling, Charmaine fell back into her chair and played with the ends of her hair. There were hearts in her eyes as she said, "If someone did that for me, I'd tell everyone he was my boyfriend. Even if it wasn't official, I'd tell the whole world he was mine."

James shifted as his chest shrunk. He couldn't quite get a deep enough breath, not when he felt so hot. Not when Charmaine's eyes ripped right through him. James sighed again and took another swig of his coffee. Setting it down, he forced a customer smile, "We're not here for me. We're here for you."

He reached across the table with opened hands. Charmaine giggled and quickly adjusted herself. "Now," she made clear, "I just want a hint. I have two parties to go to this weekend and I can't decide on which."

James couldn't tell her. He knew she didn't want to know who her true love was exactly. She liked the chase. She liked meeting a guy and having a whirlwind of an affair, but she always craved a deeper love. She didn't want to admit she wanted something more stable. It would ruin the bad reputation she loved so much.

But James wished he could tell her she's already met her true love.

Charles Roth was a sweet man, but a shy man and he had only spoken to her once. He admired her from afar and because she glowed so bright, he feared getting burned. Maybe they're not ready to meet. Hopefully, one day Charmaine will realize James keeps sending her to parties that Charles attends.

After taking her hands, James went through both parties and through her nights. Suddenly, James was hit by the notion of a third party, one Charmaine hadn't mentioned. Her mother requested her at a charity function, but Charmaine had already refused. James jumped into that party and found Charles sitting at the table behind Charmaine.