So a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned how I’d be releasing a “Masters Edition” of Semblance with brand new edits–but more importantly a bonus chapter entitled: The Second Date.

The bonus chapter describes a ‘bonus date’ between Shadow and Aria, and takes place between Chapters 10 and 11 of Semblance.

Well, here it is!

***

The Second Date

After a wonderful first date with Shadow, shifting my focus to school work again was hard.

I did my best listening to my professor’s dry lectures on why in the classical world, parallel fourth and fifths sounded as pleasant as metal scraping together, but it seemed like every few minutes my mind gravitated towards Shadow.

I daydreamed about his gorgeous face, his bite-my-knuckles worthy muscles, and yes, on a few occasions, I thought about his package.

What could I say? I had sex on the brain as a result of suffering through a dry spell. It also didn’t help that I was on a steady diet of trashy books.

I wanted to have sex.

I was no slut, however, and I refused to give my goodies to just anybody. If a boy wanted to get into my pants, he’d have to work hard for it.

Hours of waiting for Shadow to text or call me turned into a days.

I know our dates were meant to be a façade, but still. I thought we had a decent enough connection that, at minimum, warranted one text with a smiley face on it.

A few times, I was tempted to message him—a playful one that was lighthearted and didn’t reek of desperation.

Perhaps something along the lines of “Word Up,” or “Yo.”

But, when the words hit the screen of my cellphone, I realized how incredibly stupid and juvenile they looked. I deleted them with a meandering sigh.

To take my mind off of Shadow, and his lack of communication, I focused on practicing the songs on the list he gave me.

It was an intimidating list, one that pushed my abilities as a pianist to the limits, but I loved the challenge.

I was in the middle of figuring out the chords to Beethoven’s Sonata Hammerklavier when I heard my phone buzz.

It was a text message from Shadow.

About damn time.

“Second date tonight,” it read. “Dress to impress. I’ll pick you up at 11:30 pm.”

Dress to impress? This boy needed some lessons on how to give better instructions.

I spent the next couple of hours, leading up to our second date, getting ready.

At 11:30 pm on the dot, Shadow pulled up in his Aston Martin and exited the vehicle in order to open the passenger door for me.

Despite being a bit of an ass, he was still a gentleman. I had to give him that.

“So, where does date number two take us?” I asked with a grin.

His eyes glanced over the elegant designer dress I was wearing. It was a sultry crimson Vera Wang exclusive with a heart-shaped bust line that accentuated my boobs quite nicely.

Typically I wasn’t one to toot my own horn but I had to admit, I looked pretty sexy in the ensemble that Abraham left in my closet.

That wonderful old man had an impeccable fashion sense.

“Tonight is games night,” Shadow said as he pulled open the passenger door of his car.

Games night? This could be interesting.

“So we’re playing board games?” I asked, just as Shadow was buckling up his seatbelt again.

“Something like that,” he replied, one massive arm taking control of the steering wheel. He turned and looked at me. “But don’t get the wrong idea; the games we play aren’t your typical hungry hippos.”

Shadow said it with all the seriousness in the world, which I couldn’t help laughing at.

He raised a brow. “What’s so funny?”

“Your seriousness in everything.”

“I’m not that serious.”

I cleared my throat, and then proceeded to do my best impression of him, turning my voice into a deep and masculine tenor. “The games we play aren’t your typical hungry hippos.”

“I don’t sound like that.”

“Sure you do. You, my friend, sound like a man with the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

He didn’t bother replying, his eyes focused on the winding roads as we made our way towards Moral City Heights, where the most expensive properties in the city resided.

His silence made me wonder if I had touched a nerve. I certainly didn’t mean to.

Way to go, Aria.

The car finally pulled up to an estate as extravagant as Shadow’s, with rustic stone bricks that made it look like a castle rather than a house.

We waited silently in front of a pair of large iron gates.

“Sorry,” I said.

He turned to me, the seriousness on his face fading away into a warm smile.

“For what?” he asked.

“I shouldn’t tease you like that.”

“I’ve handled much worse insults. And to a degree, I suppose you’re right. I do take things seriously, especially when it comes to hungry hippos. My sister always finds a way to beat me.”

“Dork,” I laughed.

“I thought you said you wouldn’t be teasing me anymore.”

“I said I shouldn’t. However, I never said I wouldn’t,” I corrected him.

The gates to the estate began opening, welcoming us to the mansion. I felt my heart dancing in my chest, feeling the same anxiety when I first got into the limo with Abraham.

When it came to surprises, I didn’t fair all too well.

“So you still haven’t told me much about these games that we’re playing,” I said as the car pulled to a stop in front of the house.

“Are you good at chess?” he asked as he exited the vehicle.

I followed.

“When it comes to games of strategy, I’m pretty killer,” I replied as we both entered into the mansion.

We were greeted by a butler, who fit the stereo type perfectly. He sported a pointy nose, round belly, and receding hairline and I’d be damned if his first name wasn’t Jeeves or Alfred or Jarvis.

“Welcome to the home of Donald Huff,” he greeted us.

Shadow acknowledged him with a tilt of his head.

“Should we tip him?” I whispered into his ear. “I don’t want to skimp out on tip like I did the bartender the other night.”

Shadow laughed and whispered back, “No, we don’t tip him. It’d be a slap across the face for him if you did.” The warmth of his breath sent pleasant shivers throughout my body. I hadn’t felt those in a long time.

I scrunched up my face. “You people have so many rules. Personally, if someone gave me free cash, I’d light up like fireworks at Disney Land.”

“I gave you a free condo,” Shadow pointed out.

“Yes, and I practically exploded.”

We continued walking down the hallway of Donald’s estate. I noticed the walls were adorned with interesting artwork, a lot of it jazz inspired. He seemed like a man with great taste in music.

One painting in particular caught my eye. It showed a woman in a blue torn dress, standing at the edge of the sea and staring at an oncoming storm. She was playing the violin, her resolve to create music defying even the forces of nature.

“These paintings are great,” I pointed out. “They’re very distinct and unique.”

“Many of Donald’s art pieces he picked up while visiting New Orleans. He’s enamored with the entire Creole and Cajun culture down in those parts, especially the music and more so the food.”

We continued our stroll down the hallway in comfortable silence. I took my time walking as I was determined to examine each and every one of Donald’s paintings.

Shadow was patient, like he had all the time in the world.

Eventually he spoke. “You know, you’re welcome to take my arm,” Shadow said. “You are my supposed fiancé after all. Appearances mean everything to these people.”

I didn’t see any harm in that. I looped my arm around his and almost let out a squealing giggle when I realized how thick it was. This man worked out.

A lot.

I steadied myself. The last thing I needed to do was go all goo-goo-gah-gah over a set of well-toned biceps. I needed to play it cool.

Be calm. Be collected.

“Everything alright?” Shadow asked me.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re hugging my arm like a body pillow,” he pointed out.

Ugh. I was a victim to perpetual embarrassment.

I loosened my grip on him just as we stopped in front of a pair of white doors. Another butler, younger this time, was there to greet us.

“Good luck today,” he said to Shadow with a pearly white smile.

“How many others have you said that to tonight?” Shadow asked.

“Oh, to just about everyone who walks through these doors.”

Shadow laughed. “We can’t all be lucky tonight. There’s only one winner in this game.”

The man shrugged. “You can be lucky in other ways than just winning,” he said as he tilted his head in my direction.

I couldn’t help but blush.

“I’d say luck is on your side right this very moment. You couldn’t have picked a more ravishing woman at the choosing,” the butler said as he pushed opened the door and gestured for us to enter.

I blushed at the man’s kind words. This guy certainly deserved a generous tip.

We entered into the room where three large tables resided. They reminded me of pool tables with their emerald green felt cloth on top of them. There were two main differences though. The first was that each table was oval in shape. Second, there was a white, circular grid layered over the cloth.

I walked over to an empty one and examined it. Laid out on the tables were intricately carved figurines of various shapes and sizes—knights on horses, dragons, canons, and crowned women and men amongst them. It was reminiscent of a chessboard, though much larger in size and, from the looks of it, played with six people. There was also a stacked set of stone tiles in front of each empty seat, where the players were to sit.

“This game looks pretty intriguing,” I said. “And these figurines look absolutely fantastic.”

“Kingdoms is a game that’s been played by the Midnight Society for generations,” Shadow said. “It’s a highly complex game of skill, strategy, and a bit of trickery.”

“Can you show me how to play?” I asked.

Shadow nodded and led me to another one of the tables, where a game was already in progress.

The men seated at the table turned to Shadow and greeted him.

“Ah, you’ve brought the Golden Virgin,” one of them said with a smile as fake as a stripper’s boobs. “What an absolute delight.”

Another one, sporting a pencil thin moustache and slick matted hair clasped his hands together. “Excellent. Perhaps my wonderful Maria and your bride-to-be can get acquainted by the viewing area.”

I turned to the direction he was gesturing towards and noticed a pack of women deep in drink and conversation.

“You mean the women don’t get to play?” I asked.

Pencil Moustache let out a hardy laugh. “Oh my, that’s rich. Humor is a great quality to have in a woman.”

I was perplexed.

“That wasn’t supposed to be a joke,” I said.

Shadow gently tugged on my elbow.

I read the message loud and clear: “Bite your tongue.”

“I’ll have to correct you on that one, Richie,” Shadow was quick to interject. “You forget that my sister has been dominating this game for as long as I’ve remembered.”

Richie cleared his throat. “Well yes, we all do recognize that Calisto is the exception. However she’s not like a typical woman.”

This guy was getting on my nerves. I couldn’t let that comment slide. “And what do you consider a typical woman?”

Richie frowned. “There’s an entire congregation over there,” he said, pointing to the other women, frolicking in a sea of liquor. “Perhaps you’d like to join them and learn what it means to be a woman?”

Before I could say anything, Shadow stepped in. “You must be blind not to see that this woman has her arm wrapped around me.” His voice was deep and commanding, a voice of a natural leader.

Richie was quick to rise to his feet, and bow his head apologetically. “Forgive me. I’ve been drinking rather heavily and my tongue’s been possessed by the devil himself. I meant no offense.”

I felt like chewing Richie out some more, perhaps take a jab at his ridiculous moustache, but I decided to take the moral high ground on this one.

“No offense taken,” I replied.

Shadow nodded with approval. “Go back to your game, Richie. I’d like to show Aria how to play Kingdoms.”

Richie did as he was told.

Shadow led me to the corner of the table where we’d have a good view of the game. He stood behind me and rested a firm hand on my shoulder.

I closed my eyes for a moment and basked in the strength of his warm touch. It felt nice.

“Are you ready to learn?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied. “Teach me master Jedi.”

Shadow laughed. “You’re a bit of a geek, you know that?”

“Aren’t we all?”

“Touche,” he replied. He licked his lips and began his explanation. “The object of Kingdoms is to seize control of the enemy’s territory by moving one of your pieces into their fortress.”

He leaned in closer and I felt his breath against the back of my neck. I felt another shiver spark through the base of my spine and I smiled ever-so-slightly. I didn’t want to show Shadow that I was interested in him.

“Like chess, every piece on the board moves in a set pattern and can overtake other pieces as such. However, there’s a one fundamental difference when it comes to attacking and defending your pieces.”

“Oh?”

Shadow pointed towards the smooth stone tiles on the board. Some tiles were flipped over. I took note of the intricate patterns carved into them.

“Those tiles represent the three gods of Kingdoms: Serenity, War, and Death. Think of it like rock, paper, and scissors. In this case Serenity triumphs over Death but falls to War, and Death conquers War,” he said as he showed me which god corresponded to which tile. “Whereas in chess, you may attack another chess piece at will, in Kingdoms more strategy is involved. For every piece that you move, you must assign one of the three gods to it by placing a tile facedown next to the piece on the board. Only when an attack is made do you and the other player reveal the tile, which determines who is victorious in the confrontation.”

“Oh I get it,” I said as I observed the game intently. Richie had decided to attack a canon with a dragon. I watched as both players flipped over their tiles, Richie’s tile displaying Death and the other player’s tile displaying Serenity. Serenity conquered death, thus Richie lost the confrontation.

“Damn it,” Richie cursed as he watched the other player sweep away his dragon piece from the board. “Every damn time.”

Shadow grinned. “There’s also a lot of strategy and bluffing involved, not mentioning patience in deciding when to hold and when to attack. It’s only after an attack is made that the god tiles are revealed. Sometimes it pays to wait for the other players on the board to attack each other first. As you can see here, Richie isn’t very skilled at this game or adept and reading his opponents.”

Richie frowned.

“As much as I’m always honored to be in your presence, I believe your game is about to start,” he said as he pointed to the table at the center of the room.

It was once empty, but now sitting around it where Abraham, James, Brevin, and Donald. Shadow walked over to the table. I followed closely behind.

Donald rose from his seat and greeted me with a polite bow. “Ah, Aria. As lovely as ever,” he said with a smile. “I believe this is the first time you’ve visited my home.”

“It is,” I said. “I love the paintings you have in the hallway. They’re amazing. You have great taste.”

Donald grinned as he returned to his seat and patted his belly. “I do have a taste for the Louisiana culture,” he replied. “Have you ever been to New Orleans or around those parts?”

I shook my head. “I’d love to visit one day, though.”

“A music enthusiast such as you will absolutely love it,” Donald replied. He turned to Shadow. “You need to take her there, and soon.”

“I will, eventually,” Shadow replied. “But first, let’s get down to business. What’s the wager on tonight’s game?”

Brevin leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “How about five million, flat,” he replied.

I choked on a wad of shock. They were going to bet five million, each, on one single game?

James laughed. “Always the aggressive bet, aren’t you,” he said as his thumb gently brushed the stone tiles. “When was the last time you won a game?”

“Lord only knows,” Brevin said. “Calisto keeps pillaging us every time.”

“She’s not coming tonight,” Shadow replied. “She’s busy ensuring that operations for the Inferno hotel are running smoothly.”

“Good, perhaps we have a chance to win tonight,” Abraham said, as he gave me wink. “You look lovely, Aria. Will you be my lucky charm tonight?”

“No she won’t,” Shadow said. “She’ll be mine.”

My heart sank. I guess I wasn’t going to play the game. Instead I was to be paraded around as Shadow’s trophy woman. Oh well, I didn’t have five million to spend anyway.

James, who was busy on his phone, finally looked up at us. “I just received a message from Lincoln. Apparently he won’t be able to attend either. Some last minute business to take care of.”

Brevin scoffed. “His last minute business most likely involves his cock waging war in another woman’s under garments.”

“So what do we do, gentleman? It looks like we’re one player short,” Donald pointed out.

“Aria will play with us,” Shadow responded, without batting an eyelash.

“You’re joking, right?” Brevin asked. “This is a game that’s played amongst men.”

“And my sister,” Shadow replied.

“An exception to the rule. Besides, you know the stakes of these games. Today we’re making a five million wager along with the business contracts from several of our crown corporations. We’re looking at close to sixty million on the table here to the winner. Aria does not have the cash to buy in.”

Shadow pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. I was hesitant.

Sixty million dollars in cash was riding on a single game? Brevin wasn’t kidding when he said the stakes were high. I wouldn’t feel comfortable losing that kind of money for anyone.

“Maybe I’ll just watch,” I said. “After all, I’m a noob to this game.”

“Nonsense,” Shadow said. “Sit and play. I’ll spot you the buy in and also toss in one of my real estate developments into the pot.”

James laughed. “I never want to question your judgment, Shadow, but it’s a terrible business decision. Especially seeing as how there can be only one winner, which means either one of you or Aria will have to lose.”

Shadow shrugged. “Well, I assume if Aria wins, she won’t pocket my share of the buy-in now, will you?”

I raised my hands in defense. “No, seriously guys, it’s probably best I don’t play.”

“Don’t worry,” Shadow reassured me. “You said so yourself, you’re a killer when it comes to games of strategy.”

“I don’t even know how the pieces on the table move,” I protested.

“Abraham, can you give her the run down while I allocate the extra funds for her to play?” Shadow asked.

“Of course,” Abraham replied as he motioned for me sit down.

I knew there was no changing Shadow’s mind on the matter.

Nervously, I took a seat.

For the next ten minutes, I listened intently as Abraham ran through an explanation of how the pieces moved about the board. He was a very good teacher, showing patience as I asked what I thought were stupid questions.

Meanwhile, Brevin seemed to enjoy watching me squirm at the realization that I was going to cost Shadow upwards of five million dollars.

Finally, Shadow returned and took the last empty seat at the end of the table.

“Are you good to go, Aria?” he asked.

“No.”

“Yeah, you’re good to go,” he replied, as if he had heard something else come out of my mouth altogether.

“Good luck,” James said, smiling in my direction. Hidden beneath his well wishes, I heard the amusement in his voice.

“Alright, who goes first?” I asked.

“Ladies of course,” Brevin replied. “Make your first move.”

Oh lord, what to do, what to do? I had no idea what the strategy was to this game aside from bluff, don’t attack and then attack and then…shit. I was screwed.

I grabbed a canon and gently moved it four spaces up the board and chose a Death tile to place with it face down.

Immediately, Donald broke into laughter. “A highly unorthodox move,” he said. “But don’t worry. You’re still learning.”

I leaned into Abraham, who was sitting to my right. “Why was that unorthodox?” I asked.

“Over the years, one of the wildly adopted strategies is to leave the canons behind as a means of protecting your fortress,” he explained. “By moving them outside your Kingdom area, you’ve lost one of your best lines of defense. Don’t fret, however. It’s not a grave mistake.”

I nervously fidgeted with one of the tiles while the others made their moves in clockwise fashion.

And then, all-too-soon, it was my turn again.

Shit, what to do next? I observed what moves the others had made, and decided to do something similar. I grabbed a Knight on the Horse and moved him one single semi-circle forward.

“Hmmm,” Donald nodded as he rubbed his chin. Since there was no laughter or comments from anyone, I figured the move I made was an acceptable one.

I continued to play it safe, watching what the others were doing and then taking careful steps in placing my men on the tiles. For the first five rounds of the game, everyone seemed to maneuver their pieces into striking distance, though no one pressed the attack.

That soon changed when it reached James’ turn. He maneuvered a Raven piece onto one of my knights, and then flipped over his tile.

“Let’s see what you have, Aria,” he said, revealing a Death tile.

I smiled as I flipped over my own tile: Serenity.

I had won that little skirmish! Immediately I rose from my seat and did an epic fist pump.

“Yes! Eat sweet, sweet Serenity,” I gloated.

I looked around and noticed that everyone was giving me a backwards glance.

Self-control Aria; remember your self-control you ninny girl.

I politely sat down in my seat and exhaled. “Sorry. I just got a little excited.”

Donald guffawed. “Ha. This girl never ceases to be entertaining. You picked a feisty one, didn’t you Shadow?”

Shadow looked at me and grinned. There was a sparkle in his eye that set a wave of warmth through my body.

I liked the way he looked at me.

“And the virgin draws first blood,” Abraham teased as he took a sip of his drink.

James nodded. “It looks like she did. It’s interesting how Serenity was chosen.”

I raised a brow. “Why’s that surprising? It’s essentially rock, paper, scissors—a game of pure chance.”

James pressed his hands together and leaned forward in his seat. “Any time a person has the ability to make a conscience decision it’s not just pure chance. Believe it or not, there are strategies involved within something as simple as rock, paper, scissors.”

I was skeptical. “You’re kidding.”

“James is correct on this one,” Abraham said.

“I’m going to move while you fools talk gibberish,” Brevin muttered as he picked up a ballista and moved it diagonally on the board.

Abraham ignored him and continued to entertain me. “The game of paper, rock, scissors consists of two key components, the first being an instantaneous decision being made while the second are typical hand gestures that one may encounter on a regular basis.”

He extended an open hand out to me. “What does this paper look like to you?” Abraham asked.

“A handshake,” I replied.

He then closed a fist. “And rock?”

“Punching someone.”

Finally he extended two fingers out. “Scissors is an interesting one.”

I had no clue what universal gesture scissors was meant for. “You got me on that one.”

“Have you ever noticed it’s easier to extended all five fingers out in the form of a handshake, rather than only two fingers?”

I tried it. He was right.

“This is what makes scissors so interesting. When you have only microseconds to make a decision, your mind and body gravitates to the path of least resistance, which in this case is either paper or rock. Paper and Rock are subconscious instant reactions to one’s personality, either passive or aggressive. Meanwhile scissors requires a split-second cognitive decision made, thus the person who has chosen scissors falls into the category as a planner.”

“So essentially, anyone who chooses scissors is smarter?”

Abraham shook his head. “Not necessarily so. This is where strategy comes into play with Paper, Rock, and Scissors. With the understanding of a person’s nature—either passive, aggressive, or a thinker, you can understand what the first decision they’ll gravitate to is. But then you have to decipher whether or not your opponent knows this and will choose something else to counter your own thought process.”

What?

“You’re hurting my head, Abraham,” I said.

“Believe it or not, the same strategic principles behind paper, rock, scissors has been used in many of the wars we have in the board room,” Donald said as he moved a Dragon in my direction.”

“It’s still hard for me to comprehend that there’s a science behind paper, rock, and scissors,” I said.

Shadow moved his own Dragon in to attack Donald’s piece. They both flipped over their tiles, Shadow displaying Death and Donald’s showing War.

“Damn it,” Donald cursed as he rubbed his bearded chin.

“Care for a demonstration then?” Abraham asked as he turned to Brevin. “Over the years of doing business with my dear friend, Mr. West, I’ve gained full comprehension and understanding of his psyche and decision making process.”

Brevin almost seemed offended by what Abraham was implying. “Get out of here, old man. You figured out nothing when it comes to me.”

“Paper, rock, scissors then. Best out of five,” Abraham said as he raised a fist in Brevin’s direction.

“Can we just concentrate on the game?”

Abraham sighed. “Let’s wager on this little game then. I’ll throw in my restaurant, the China White.”

I was stunned. These men were tossing around money and properties as if they were nickels and dimes.

Brevin thought about it for a moment. “And what do you want from me if you win?”

“I’ve always fancied your new car.”

Brevin scoffed. “You want me to put up my Rolls Royce over a game of paper, rock, scissors?”

“Up against my restaurant, which has far more worth than your vehicle. You seem confident in my inabilities to understand your cognitive mind.”

“Fine,” Brevin said as he raised his own closed fist to meet Abraham’s. “Best out of five.”

The game was over in a matter of seconds, as Abraham beat him consecutively three times.

“Motherfucker,” Brevin muttered.

“Keys please,” Abraham smiled as he extended his palm.

Showing his display of poor sportsmanship, Brevin tossed the keys on the table in Abraham’s direction. “Motherfucker,” he repeated.

Abraham smiled as he pocketed his prize, and then turned to me. “So, back to James’ assessment of you, placing Serenity on the board first, he was trying to understand your logic and personality. My dear, from this point on, you need to be aware of your choices and how we interpret them when you place your tiles next to your pieces.”

“I see.” This game was more complex than I thought.

We continued playing for what seemed like hours, all six of us maneuvering cautiously. It wasn’t until Brevin began aggressively attacking Abraham—bitter about losing his car no doubt—that a cataclysmic chain of events unfolded on the board.

With both Brevin and Abraham’s tiles exposed on the board, revealing the protection associated with their pieces, the others swooped in like vultures for the kill. James made quick work of Brevin, knocking him out of the game first.

Donald tried to run through Abraham, but with some cunning maneuvers and baiting, Abraham was able to counter and wipe Donald off the board completely.

Meanwhile, James focused on me, knocking out two dragons and a ballista by guessing my tiles correctly with all three.

It seemed as if James had read me perfectly.

Shadow, however, interjected himself into our private battle and began sweeping James’ pieces off the board.

“You left yourself open by defending Aria,” Abraham pointed out.

Shadow frowned. “I know.”

“Emotion over logic,” James pointed out.

“I know,” Shadow repeated himself.

I watched as both Abraham and James annihilated Shadow, attacking him in succession. I tried to help Shadow—like how he helped me—but my efforts were futile.

Every time I tried to counterattack in hopes of drawing them away from Shadow’s pieces, James was quick to cut me off, forcing me to withdraw my men.

“Sorry, Shadow,” Abraham said as he took Shadow’s last piece away from the board.

Shadow shrugged before turning his attention to me.

“Well, it looks like you’re the only hope I have left,” he said, leaning back in his chair and taking a sip from his scotch. “You’re not in bad position though.”

“I’ll be joining you soon,” Abraham said as he stared at his own position on the board. “I have too many holes in my defense.”

“Indeed you have,” James acknowledged. Five rounds later Abraham was knocked out, leaving only James and I on the board.

By this time, a crowd had gathered around the table, intently watching the game.

“The Golden Virgin is still playing?” asshole Richie exclaimed.

Rather than bite my tongue, I decided to reply. “Yes, I still am.”

Even the women, who had been busy mixed in drink and gossip, had congregated around the table to watch the spectacle.

“Who’s winning?” one of them slurred, in between sips of a martini.

“I’d say it’s about even keel,” Abraham announced as he scanned the board.

James looked at me with thoughtful eyes. “Well, Aria? It’s your move.”

Donald rose from his seat and stretched. “Good luck, Aria. You’ve done much better than I expected.”

I faked a smile while my attention focused solely on the game board. I did my best to recollect all the moves that James’ had made along with what tiles he had remaining in his pile.

We both still had several pieces that haven’t been moved yet, along with tiles yet to be revealed.

From the way James was scanning the board, there was no doubt he was formulating what unused tiles I had remaining.

I needed to throw him a few curve balls.

“Let me try this blind,” I said as I moved a knight forward, and then tossed down a tile face down next to it without bothering to look at it.

James looked at me, puzzled. “What are you doing?” he asked.

I gestured towards my concealed tile on the game board. “I thought I’d spice things up. Whenever you attack, it’ll be a surprise to us both.”

My opponent leaned back and folded his arms across his chest while his eyes scanned me. “Interesting tactic,” James said. “It’s a little reckless though, is it not?”

“Come on, aren’t you curious to see what tile I played? I certainly am.”

James sighed, and moved a ballista into play, attacking my piece. He flipped over his tile, revealing a Serenity tile.

I flipped my over. Serenity as well. It was a draw, thus no pieces were taken and James’s piece returns back to its original spot.

“Well, I suppose not losing a piece is considered a win,” I replied as I moved another one of my pieces into attacking position and then placing a tile next to it blindly.

“We’re trying this trick again?” James asked.

I shrugged. “Why not? I’m removing one element of the game that you had dominance over. I’m changing the element of choice into chance.”

I heard whispering amongst the crowd of people, along with someone asking, “Can she do that.”

“I personally think the tactic is brilliant,” Abraham said. “Take away one of your opponent’s strengths. What the game has now come down to is a simple chess game with a little bit of probability and luck mixed in.”

“I’m good at chess,” I stated, “And hopefully I have that beginner’s luck on my side tonight.”

We continued moving our pieces into play. Now that it was a straight one versus one with essentially the rules of chess, I started formulating strategies on how to attack and defend.

I could tell James was getting frustrated with some of my moves, which I took as a good sign.

Methodically, we began attacking each other, both of us losing pieces at an even rate. Eventually we were both down to our last two pieces. I had a dragon and my empress and he his raven and emperor.

It was my move and without hesitation I threw my dragon right at his raven.

“Are you sure that’s wise?” James asked. “Essentially if you lose your dragon, the game is done. There’s no way to win with two pieces against one.”

“Likewise,” I stated. “If you lose your raven, you’re finished also.”

“Unlike you, I’ve been counting tiles. You’re down to only two, Serenity and a War tile. I suppose now it’s a matter of chance for me to decide which one your Dragon is using. I have the tiles remaining to defeat both.”

“A fifty-fifty chance then,” I stated. “Let’s see it.”

James shrugged, and flipped over his tile, choosing to go with Death.

I drew a deep breath and flipped over my own. Serenity.

Luck was on my side.

The crowd was gasping and now murmuring. I finished off James in a matter of two moves, thus winning the game.

The second I assured victory I leapt out of my seat and, without thinking, dove into Shadow and hugged him.

“I fucking did it,” I announced.

He wrapped his strong arms around my body, pressing me close to him. He looked at me with affectionate eyes. “Yes, you fucking did it,” he agreed.

There was something about being held by this man that felt right, something that unraveled the turmoil in my heart and calmed me. I wanted to stay within his embrace just a little while longer, but eventually felt him release his hold on me.

I was mildly disappointed.

I exhaled, regaining my composure, and turned to face James who rose from his seat. He extended a hand out towards me.

“Well played, Aria. Though I lost, I have to admit, that was one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever played. Perhaps I’ll need to try that tactic out on Calisto, who seems to have my number.”

“Maybe it’s just women James,” Shadow said. “You just can’t seem to defeat them in this game.”

James laughed. “Perhaps. I do have a soft spot in my heart for them.”

Abraham walked over to me next and gave me a warm pat on the back. “That was splendid. You’ve showed this old man something new today. What a pleasure it was.”

I beamed. “I seriously wouldn’t have won without your coaching,” I said. “You’re a great teacher. Better than any of the profs at the University. They’re too impatient and judgmental.”

“The greatest investment one can make is time,” Abraham said, “Which is why patience is such a virtue.”

The last person to congratulation me on my victory, much to my surprise, was Brevin. He extended his hand which I took.

He had an iron grip for a handshake.

“I was wrong about you,” Brevin said. “Anyone who can put James in his place is welcome at this table anytime.”

“That really means a lot to me, Brevin.”

With a polite nod, he walked away to fix himself a drink at the bar.

I stretched, feeling the tension in my shoulders. I glanced at the wall clock and realized that we had been playing the game for over seven hours.

It was practically breakfast time.

“Hungry?” Shadow asked, as if he read my mind.

“Like a hippo,” I smiled.

#

We ended up at a greasy spoon diner close to my condo. Seeing as how I deserved a reward for my little victory, I ordered myself an unhealthy breakfast—waffles with ice cream and nutella sauce.

Shadow decided to go with the more traditional bacon and eggs along with a side of fresh fruit.

“That was really fun,” I said. “I’m really glad you brought me tonight.”

Shadow swallowed the morsels of food in his mouth before replying. “I’m really glad you won. That would have been quite the hit on my business if you lost. My board of directors would have given me shit for a week.”

There was tiredness in his voice as he said it, and not the ‘I need sleep,’ kind of tired.

“Do you like what you do?” I asked. “All the wheeling and dealing in the boardroom?”

Shadow shook his head. “Not at all. My sister was always better at it than I was. My time and energy is better focused on other things.”

“Oh?” I asked. “So tell me, Shadow, what does the king of the world like to do in his spare time?”

He took a sip of his coffee and stared out the window, his eyes seemingly focused on a man huddled in the street corner, an empty coffee cup in hand, begging for change at any who passed him by.

After a moment lost in thought, Shadow turned his undivided attention back to me. “Do you enjoy what you do?” he asked, obviously dodging my question.

I decided to let that one slide.

“I love it,” I said. “When I’m sitting in front of that piano performing, it’s like a drug. It’s an intoxicating high when you’ve put on a great performance and the audience loves you for it. It’s like I earned their praise and adoration, you know?”

Shadow frowned. “Sadly, I don’t know. I was born into my success. Being the so called ‘King’ of the Midnight Society means I’m surrounded by yes men and people who’d kiss my ass any chance they got.”

“I don’t know about that,” I stated. “It doesn’t look like the members of your council go easy on you.”

He laughed. “The council is the exception. They’re quite vocal in challenging my decisions as well as providing transparency in their thoughts. I’d have it no other way.”

“One of them seems like a dick,” I stated.

“Lucien,” Shadow agreed. “While others provide value and insight in their arguments, Lucien just whines and snarls like the mad bitch he is. Like me, he was born into it—though in his mind he relishes in having the power. I’m pretty sure there’s nothing he wants more than to sit in my seat.”

“From the sounds of it, you don’t like your job.”

“No I don’t,” Shadow acknowledged. “But what can I do?”

“Do something you love. You must have hobbies.”

Shadow shrugged. “Time is a luxury for me. Any free time I have, I’m focused on something that’s important to me.”

“Well there you go,” I said. “It sounds like you’re already doing something you love.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Shadow stated. “What’s important to me and what I love to do aren’t the same thing.”

“You’re speaking in riddles,” I pointed out.

He smiled, sadly. “Riddles that are probably best left unsolved.”

There seemed to be finality in his statement, one which told me not to pry any further.

The topics of our discussion quickly changed to other things.

We talked about small, light hearted things; things that you normally talked about during first and second dates such as favorite books, movies, and foods—myself choosing To Kill a Mockingbird, Once, and sushi and Shadow selecting the Art of War (I wasn’t surprised), Wait Until Dark (an Audrey Hepburn movie his sister made him watch with her), and chicken nuggets (once again I wasn’t surprised).

And then our conversations took a nonsensical turn as I fired off absurd questions to see how he’d answer.

“What’s something you should never say during sex?” I asked.

He thought about it for a moment. “Spitters are quitters,” he replied.

My mouth opened in both surprise and laughter. “Oh gosh,” I said as I playfully slapped him in the arm. “That’s perverse.”

“What? You asked and I answered.”

He got me there.

“Fine, here’s another one,” I said. “Fuck, Marry, or Kill: Snow White, Mulan, or Cinderella.”

Shadow shot me a funny look. “You want me to choose which character from a Disney animated feature I’d want to fuck?”

“Pretend they’re real in life.”

“This is weird.”

“Answer the damn question. It will tell me a lot about you.”

“How so?” he asked.

“Answer the question first, and I’ll explain after.”

He sighed. “I’d fuck Cinderella, marry Mulan, and kill Snow White.”

“I see,” I said, my hands folded together, my chin resting on them—the typical pose of a head doctor. “I see.”

“So?”

“So what?”

“What does that tell you about me?”

I smiled. “Well, Shadow. From what I gather, you have a fetish for the common people who persevere over adversity—those rags to riches type of people. However, you want a long fulfilling relationship with a strong woman, someone who can stand up to you as an equal. And finally, you don’t like the docile, damsel in distress type of girl. Am I right?”

“Perhaps, or maybe I listed off the names in alphabetical order. That’s a possibility too.”

I laughed.

Suddenly his phone, which was resting on the table of the diner, vibrated. He picked it up, looked at the screen, and frowned. “Shit,” he muttered. “Calisto needs me in the boardroom to go over a few numbers with this new casino and hotel we’re developing.”

I did my best to hide my look of disappointment. I was genuinely having a wonderful time getting to know this man.

And seriously, he was very easy on the eyes.

“Come on,” he said, “I’ll drop you home.”

I stared out the window, smiling at the beautiful rays of light cast against the waking city. I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day outside.

I shook my head. “You know what? I’m going to stay out for a little while longer. You go on ahead. I’m going to walk home and enjoy this glorious morning.”

He smiled. “I really wish I could stay a little longer, but my sister’s the impatient type,” Shadow said.

“I wish you could stay too,” I beamed.

And then we had one of those moments—the ones where we both sat in nervous silence, wondering what to say or do next.

Fuck, I wanted to kiss him and feel what his lips were like against mine. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell that’s what he wanted too.

“Aria…” he finally said.

“Yes?”

His phone rang.

Son of a bitch.

He looked at it and sighed. “Calisto,” he muttered as he answered it.

“Yes, I’m coming…you can tell them to wait…yes I do care about the project…you’re being neurotic…the date went fine…yes what you heard was true. She won…fine, I’m leaving right now…okay already.”

He seemed fluster as he pocketed his phone.

“I’ll see you on our next date?” he asked. “I guess it’s the last one.”

I didn’t want any of this to end.

But instead of sounding like the desperate, love starved girl I was, I nodded with a fake smile. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he said as he rose from his seat and dropped cash on the table. “I’ll have Abraham contact you soon.”

And then he was gone from the diner.

I watched affectionately as Shadow crossed the street, and dumped the contents of his wallet into the homeless man’s coffee cup, certainly brightening up his day.

I finished the last of my coffee, and then rose from my seat and stepped out into the morning.

For most of the walk home my mind was fixated on Shadow and that nervous flutter I was getting in my stomach. I was falling for Shadow.

I could only guess what he was thinking. A man like him, he probably had women lining up outside his bedroom door, ready to jump his bones like sex-crazed nymphomaniacs. These women were all beautiful and rich while I, on the other hand, was just some dopey broke college girl.

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling gnawed at me. For some reason, I couldn’t shake this feeling that I was being watched—that someone was following me. A shiver coursed through my body as I turned around and glanced at my surroundings.

The streets were coming alive as stores began to open and people were out and about—nothing noticeably menacing.

I was getting jittery from the lack of sleep. A good, long nap was much needed.

I quickened my paced as I continued my walk home.

As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of dread which followed me like the spectre of death—its bony hands clutching onto a sharp, bloody sickle.

#

The new masters edition of “Semblance” will be available Tuesday, so make sure to update your copy on the kindle! If you haven’t read Semblance yet, well…damn.

It’s not to late too check out this Amazon Bestseller in Romance Mystery, Gothic Romance, Mystery Series, *deep breath*, “Romance Suspense, Romance Thrillers, and a few other categories I’m probably missing. It also happens to have over 150 five star reviews! *fist pump*.

Buy Now! Semblance: Book One of the Midnight Society – Masters Edition

Stay tuned on this blog where I’ll be debuting the Abraham Constantine short story, which will be gracing the back pages of Penumbra: Book Two of the Midnight Society – Masters Edition.

This is all gearing up for the big launch of Revenant: Book Three of the Midnight Society. The pre-order will be available sooner than you think ;).

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