Temptation [A Young Writer's Prize Submission]

The Date. Part One

CHAPTER FOUR

He that loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loves abundance with increase: this is also vanity.

Ecclesiastes 5: 10

True to his word, Cain arrived at exactly seven pm to collect me. Debra, downstairs, heard the bell ring before I did; prompting her to yell up to me that he’d arrived.

She stopped me at the bottom of the stairs, frowning at my choice of outfit. I gave her a disparaging look, feeling the need to defend myself.

“It’s not a five star restaurant,” I shrugged on my coat.

“It’s still a date,” she insisted, taking in each item of clothing. “You could have dressed up a bit – this looks too casual.”

“It’s not really a date, Debra,” I muttered. “It’s just two friends hanging out.”

“Whatever you want to call it,” she shook her head wearily. I didn’t see what all the fuss was about. I wore my favourite black jeans, with suede grey boots that reached my calf. My top was the same colour grey; a silky texture that went from the top of my breastbone to my hips, where it hung a little loose. The only decorative piece I wore was a navel-length necklace, with an inexpensive charm that caught the light and cast sparkly shades of pink, blue and yellow around the walls. My coat was soft leather, the same shade as my jeans. This to me was dressy enough. Did she expect me to wear something similar to the baptismal outfit?

“It doesn’t matter,” I retorted, brushing past her. “Cain won’t care – and I don’t have time to change.”

She pursed her lips, unconvinced. I turned my back on her, heading to open the door.

It wasn’t until I saw, with relief, that Cain was also dressed fairly casually, that I realised I’d actually worried Debra would be right. As it was, what he wore reasserted my argument.

He wore the same jeans as before, but his black shirt was new. All but the top two buttons were fastened, giving a hint to his chest. He’d also put a little bit of gel in his hair, I noticed, as I stepped into his embrace.

“You look great,” he whispered into my ear. For one crazy moment, I wondered if he only said that because he had overheard Debra through the door. But then I realised it was a compliment and should be taken as such.  I smiled, kissing him quickly on the cheek.

“You ready to go?” he asked. I nodded, and his gaze flew past me towards my foster mother still loitering in the doorway. “Good evening Mrs Isaac.”

“Good evening, Cain,” she said stiffly. “I hope you two have fun tonight.”

Cain smirked; “I’m sure we will.” There was something in the way he spoke, that made me shiver. Debra, thankfully, seemed to be oblivious to it.

He took my hand and guided me out of the house, into the darkening evening. As promised, he drove his new Lamborghini; a black car that almost blended into the night sky, had it not been for the brake lights still switched on.

“She seemed considerably warmer,” Cain observed, as he opened the passenger door for me. Before I had the chance to answer, he’d shut the door firmly and moved gracefully over to the driver’s seat.

“It’s thanks to your name drop,” I replied, once I had his attention again.

He grinned, setting the car into motion. “Mercy, all I did was telling your dad who my dad was – that’s hardly a name drop.”