I N C O G N I T O (on hold)

• classical •

My eyes went to my hands, which were covered in black. My head tilted to the side. Something in the air changed. It was colder.

And then my hands weren't black from the charcoal anymore.

They were red and covered in blood.

"Valerie, no," my mother scowled when I reentered the kitchen forty-five minutes later. "Hon, not that dress, okay?"

I looked down at the fitted red satin dress. It was a low cut in the front, showing off my cleavage. It was only an inch or two above the knee with a slit up the side. It was always my favorite dress. She couldn't stand it for whatever reason. Actually, I knew the reason. She thought it was too revealing.

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's not appropriate."

"Please, mom, it's plenty appropriate." I smiled lightly and coursed my fingers through my straight hair. "You said look nice; I look nice."

"I said nice. Not like you're about to seduce a sixty year old man into becoming your sugar daddy." She sighed and rubbed her temples. Dra-mat-ic. "Go ahead, Val. Do what you want, you always do."

"Glad we agree." I drummed my hands on the countertop. "How long 'til they get here? Who are these people anyway?"

"I met a woman at the benefit you skipped out on, her name's Celine. She's bringing her boyfriend and her son. He's around your age, her son."

"Oh."

The doorbell rang and immediately my mom started fluffing her curly hair. She chucked the rag she was wiping her hands with towards the sink and placed a natural smile on her face before disappearing to open the door. I moved towards the pots, opening the lid to see what was inside.

"She hates it when you do that."

I turned sharply, my eyes latching onto my father who was coming downstairs. He grinned at me.

"I wasn't going to taste it," I muttered, walking toward him. He extended an arm towards me and I stepped into his embrace, allowing him to lead me out the kitchen.

"...so very glad you came. The food should be ready in a few minutes and my husband and daughter are—" she turned and grinned. "Oh! Right here."

My dad pulled away and walked towards them, extending his hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm James. Welcome to our home."

"Very nice to meet you. I'm Celine. This is my son Mark and this is my boyfriend, Derek."

"Valerie?" My mother was looking at me, eyes slightly wide. I knew what that look meant. Stop being rude and get your ass here and say hello.

But I couldn't move. The moment my eyes landed on him, I was frozen. It was him.

Kai. And she'd just called him Derek.

His eyes were on me as well, but he didn't look as surprised as I did. In fact, he didn't seem surprised at all.

"Valerie," my mom forced out through gritted teeth, an obvious sign for me to get my shit together and be the perfect host's perfect daughter.

Snapping out of it, I stepped forward and introduced myself.

"I'm Valerie. Nice to meet you."

My eyes scaled each of our guests. Kai—Derek?—was the only one who stood out. He was taller, larger, darker. His hair was in a bun again, and he wore reading glasses on his face, which normally would make a man appear softer but in case he just looked brilliantly dangerous. Celine wore a white cocktail dress, and her long blonde hair fell over her shoulder in waves. Her son, whose name I hadn't heard during introductions, was looking at me with his mouth slightly open. When he realized I was looking at him, his mouth clamped shut and he looked away, a tint of red shading his cheeks.

My eyes drifted back to Derek (Kai?). God, he looked yummy. His eyes were on me as well, slowly raking over my body.

"—move into the dining room, shall we?"

My mother's voice broke my trance yet again and I followed them to the dining room. Everyone took their seats, me somehow finding a seat right across from Kai/Derek.

Idle chitchat began, and I mostly stared at the tablecloth during that time. Suddenly a buzzer went off and mom excused herself, declaring the food ready.

"Why don't I help her?" Celine offered, standing up and walking into the direction my mom went off to.

"So Derek, was it?" My dad leaned back in his chair looking completely relaxed. "What do you do?"

Kai/Derek had been staring at a painting hung on the wall and took his time turning to look at my father. "Hm?"

"Your job?"

"Oh." His voice was sickeningly sexy. "I do..many things."

"Anything interesting?"

Kai/Derek smirked, and leaned back. Interestingly enough, it wasn't smug or condescending. It was more like he was sharing a joke with himself—something no one else could understand. "Somewhat."

My father, thrown off by his vagueness, forces a smile and, realizing Kai/Derek must not have been one for idle chitchat turned to converse with the son. Shit, what was his name?

"May I use your restroom?" Kai/Derek suddenly asked.

My dad nodded. "Of course. Val, do you mind showing him to the bathroom?"

"Not at all." I stood up, and started walking towards the stairs. I could hear him follow so I walked up and turned the corner. "It's uh..."

"Valerie, was it?"

My name sounded so damn good coming out of his mouth. I wanted to hear him say it again and again.

I licked my lips and willed my heart to calm down. "Y-yeah. So is it Kai or Derek? Your name."

He looked at me, eyes dark and calculating. Instead of answering, he gestures to the door. "This the bathroom?"

I nodded mutely, and grasp the doorknob, turning it and pushing it open.

He started to move past me but stopped. His eyes found mine again. "It's Kai."

The door closes behind him.