The Night Before

by Guest Sat Mar 21, 2009 3:58 am

Attending the Ventrue meeting had certainly taken an unexpected chunk of time out of Antoinette’s carefully planned schedule, but her staff had worked so hard this week that it didn’t matter. They were done. The models had been fitted within an inch of their perfect bodies, the hair and accessories and stage and lighting were planned and coordinated. The new line was ready to be released to the world. Or, at lease a small audience in Sacramento.

Antoinette walked by the racks of garments, protected in bags, letting her hand touch each one as she conjured mental pictures of the models and what they looked like in each piece walking down the runway. She rearranged the order on two and made a note in the paperwork for the staff to change the model order. But other than that, the procession was perfect.

She had made peace with the highly unconventional road she’d taken. Both she and Lash would be crucified in the press for presenting two entirely different concepts. But she was OK with it. Both were so important, having come from her strange dreams. She was positive they were linked somehow, but she could not explain the connection. The bottom line was, she was madly in love with the entire thing, and that was all that mattered to her. To hell with the rest of them. She still planned to hand over the entire business to someone else anyway.

Which brought her back to the very disturbing comment Quinton had made when she had announced to him that she would be moving to Europe. He had told her he had not released her and she was not free to go. What the hell did that mean? The words came back to haunt her. Could he really hold her here against her will? She knew he had made her stay at his house for extended periods of time, when she was “learning a lesson”. But she was under the impression she was agreeing to that. Allowing herself to be held there and taught the lesson. She still had a choice, right?

This was all starting to creep her out. Really, what could he do if she just packed her bag and split for the airport tomorrow night? Never showed up for the show? Would he “know” where she was? How does he know so much anyway? Could she call the cops on him? Had he broken any laws? Maybe not. But if he tried to stop her from going oversees, well, that’s kidnapping, or something, right?

Antoinette thought briefly of Tilden and the frightening interlude Friday night. And of how truly vulnerable she really was. How much did she need Quinton? Did he really have some unwritten right to her, just because he created her? What if she just found some other Kindred that was strong and could protect her?

Could she actually turn her back on Quinton and walk away from him. Antoinette’s rebellious side said “yes” immediately, but she reluctantly admitted the strange need for him she constantly felt was perhaps too strong. She just wasn’t sure.

Antoinette turned out the lights in the studio and had yet another fitful day of dreams.