Joseph trudged inside the hall, ignoring the pounding pain in his head. The hall was brimming with life. He noticed the scarcity of her family members as the debutante ball was limited to a restricted band of society. With only high-class business families and the new adults whose eyes scavenged anything but Elizabeth.
Private party.
Mrs Warner never found it as important to invite her relatives because of their finicky nature type. She believed they wait for such grand moments to arrive only to come, find faults in everything, and go. Mrs Warner was already a patient with high blood pressure, so inviting them would only add to her problem.
Joseph beckoned Mark. The nineteen-year-old had a classic black-tie look. He kept it tasteful, clean, and attractive. A crisp salute to Mark for not slipping into his gray hoodie and keeping the custom in mind. Even Mrs Warner couldn't stop glimpsing admiringly at him today.
"Hey, Looking so good," Joseph complimented and whirled on to fetch some drink.
"I know," Mark mumbled in an acetous tone, peeking through his tidy permed hair. "Just wondering why am I here?"
Joseph chuckled and suddenly asked, "Did you see Elizabeth?"
"Elizabeth. Shouldn't she be here by now?" Mark questioned imperiously, looking at his wristwatch. He mentally thought more about this topic. "I hope she gets here soon before everyone starts to leave."
****
Ruby risked a glance at the object Tasher was holding. It was a fuming injection. Perhaps, what was the use of an injection at this time?
A sudden dread of coldness took over Ruby's words. "Excuse me for now," she said in a soft and shaky voice.
Tasher ran off, seizing her by the wrist. He was inflicting terrible pain on her fragile wrists. Carefully, he pulled her toward him as he held the injection in one hand. Her back collided with his chest. And in a heartbeat, he snaked his arm around her abdomen, locking the movements of her arms.
"Leave me, Tasher!" She squirmed, even hitting her head on his. The loud bangs had only hurt Ruby more.
"This is for dissing me from day one. The insults to my self-esteem, identity, and ego have crossed the line of their patience. Now I'm gonna make you feel the pain of it."
No doubt, Ruby, had always imagined him as a blue-eyed dude with a perverted mind and playful ideas. But, the present Tasher was something else. He was injurious to his health because things didn't pan out for him.
"Anyone there! Help me please!" Ruby shouted out loud and instantly felt a chemical slowly mixing in her sacred bloodstream as he injected it.
"Now, this is going to make you forget what shamelessness is. You'll be forced to tear this dress into shreds," he whispered darkly, cupping her face from behind. "Without wanting anyone to do it for you."
Ruby lay her head back on his shoulder, rubbing her temples lightly. She went into oblivion.
Later on, Tasher went looking out for his father in the crowd and approached Mrs Warner. "Good evening, Mrs. Warner! I couldn't see Dad anywhere. Have you seen him?"
"I haven't seen him and Elizabeth either," she admitted and touched the expanse above his knuckles.
"Yeah. Don't worry she's . . . she's coming." Tasher complied with a sly smile, and Mrs Warner went in a different direction.
"Hey, what's up bad boy?"
Tasher turned around and saw a short wavy bob haircut of modern midnight black framing the pigmented oval face. Her odd canine flashed and she shut her mouth right after gaining attention.
He clutched his jaw and eyed her from top to bottom. "Still tanned. Did you really─" the pigmented face gave him a moist peck on his lips. Tasher closed shut his eyes and got lost in the trivial act.
"Didn't find you in your local haunts. What have you been up to?" The white in her eyes carried an indisputable value of slyness.
"─Are you free tonight, babes?" Tasher changed his question, fixing both of his hands on her sides. The sequined gunmetal dress was shifting in his touch.
She nodded and answered, "Only for tonight. My boyfriend will be returning from tomorrow's flight. So we have to make it quick. Let's go then." She grabbed his hand and would have hardly moved an inch when Tasher pulled her back. Turning her head, she cocked her eyebrow as her excitement faded away like a shooting star.
"Oh, no!" he yelled under the influence of exclusive interest. "I mean let her come first. It wouldn't look nice if I leave the party without saying hello to her. You know the etiquettes are counted."
"That's right," she agreed.
Ruby ambled into the hall silently. Her missteps caused the people around her to frown at her. A lot of murmurs filled the quiet of the room alongside the soft jazz music; Hey, I saw her on TV. She's Katherine Warner's daughter. What? She looks so ugly in real life.
Ruby stumbled and someone planted firm support on her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes and giggled. "I guess I've seen these green eyes somewhere."
"Yes. I'm the manager of the hotel you came to attend the media interaction session at," he recited, gaping at her face. As if that smudged lipstick and eyes pooled with the remnants of the kohl beautified her facial features. He couldn't help but caress her cheek.
Ruby pressed two fingers on her lips and then stamped them on his thin lips. She went for his glass of wine boldly. His eyes were emblazoned with a chance of getting along better. She necked down his drink.
"Let's dance," Ruby slurred and intertwined her fingers with his. She pushed past the clusters of people to the dance floor. She then wrapped her hands around his neck and danced to the music.
"But, the thing is, I have two feet left." He receded.
"You know what I've learned many new things that my job never informed me about. Come here." Ruby completely shifted her weight on him and began to draw circles on his forearm. They were dancing cheek to cheek, not giving a damn to the people whispering about their dalliance.
"Look, it's Elizabeth Warner!" someone said.
Taking a deep breath Joseph, followed his line of sight. His pupils dilated and he nearly jumped from his seat. Ruby was grinding up against a stranger. Shortly, she went to everyone with a bottle of drink, pouring it into their glasses. Her appearance looked far beyond the limits of what might be called, in polite society, drunk.
"Have some more please . . ." she said, lapping her upper lip with a tongue.
The man let out a flirtatious laugh, lifting his glass.
"There she is . . ." The corners of Tasher's mouth stretched to highlight the sense of pride he was feeling at the moment. He was contented with the revenge he wanted to seek against her. It was quite fruitful you could say.
The confused girl nudged him by her elbow. "Is she Elizabeth Warner?"
"Yes. Isn't she a bit of crackling?" He winked.
"But I've seen her somewhere..." she said thoughtfully,
"You must have seen her in some magazine. Lately, they have done a lot of photoshoots and appeared on the front covers of renowned magazines," Tasher stated casually, gulping down his drink.
"Not in the magazines for sure. But, I know I've seen her in person── maybe at my friend's reception party last summer." She bit her finger and waited a bit to clear her clouded mind.
"Last summer," Tasher repeated, watching her face with fascination. "Get me the deets." His words sounded slow, jagged, and hard, enough to intimidate the girl as he took his last imperial sip.
And in Ruby's brown eyes, a grim light shone as they met Joseph's. She made seamless talk to the audience with confidence, "Ladies and gentlemen, can I have a few moments from your time please?"
Then she traveled up to him. Joseph looked right through her and at the glass she was filling.
"You have betrayed me," her tone was gripping, a mere whisper which was only understandable by the man who gave her vocal lessons. In all unusualness, she drank from his glass and pointed her finger at him gingerly. "You broke something that was already broken, Joseph."
Mrs. Warner came into the light to see her daughter, her face was blanched with embarrassment. She felt a tremor in her stomach when she saw a man recording the entire scene on his phone discreetly. The maids' who anchored to help Elizabeth stopped once they got a weighty wave from the older.
Ruby lumbered to the center and shrieked, "Everyone is a damn liar! They spin the truth and weave deception."
Mrs Warner crossed her arms and scrutinized the whole situation. Tasher was containing his smile. Mark paid attention to human conditions for the first time. And Joseph wept from within.
She padded toward Mrs Warner and said, "Everyone is making you a fool. Just mark my words. The people you call 'your family friends' are planning to shove you in a bottle and throw you far away in the ocean... from where you..." Ruby rambled, facing problems to stand steady.
Rubbing her eyes, she pivoted to look at Joseph. "I have to prove to someone that I'm a virgin. And, once I return to him after losing my virginity, he will throw me aside naming me a whore. What a melancholy!"
Joseph turned away his gaze and brought the glass closer to his lips. His nerves were popping out of his hands and forehead making his face burn with anger. Ruby...for God's sake! Just stop it, he thought.
"Anyway, we have a long evening ahead of us. Please enjoy yourselves." She announced. "Why it's getting so hot here?" Ruby backed away and as soon as someone's hand brushed against hers, she murmured without looking at him, "Lead me. It's an unknown path for me. I don't know my destination. Please guide me through this explicit experience." Ruby's eyes watered and she exited with that anonymous man.
"What has happened to her?" Mark said. In the meantime, Tasher was standing next to Mark, and which threw the latter didn't notice until something devasting came from his side.
"I gave her an injection."
Word count - 1650
a/n; what are your thoughts on Thomas? And who's that man??