Their Beloved Mate.

Evening Plans Made...

“We are going out tonight!” Amber announced as she walked into Tazanna’s office.

Tazanna looked up from the file she was reading on her desktop, watching her friend approach her with a questioning look on her face. “What?”

“Tonight. You and me. Club. Not taking no for an answer,” Amber stated as she rested her hands flat on the table and leaned in. “It’s been a while since we got shitfaced.”

“Well, maybe because you have a cute shitface and I just end up looking like Frankenstein’s bride,” Tazanna replied as she sat back, placing the pen between her teeth. “Why are you so excited about it, anyway?”

“Girl, we are still young! I don’t want to get to my thirties with regrets about what I might have done,” Amber stood up straight and crossed her arms. “I want to be able to look back and say I did all of it. That way, even if I do get to have kids, I can refer to my own situation.”

“Aaah, you and Kyle talking about kids now?” Tazanna gave a small nod, biting the inside of her lip to stop the laugh from escaping.

Amber rolled her eyes, “girl, please. That man would have me pregnant morning, afternoon, and night if he could. I am going to enjoy myself before he gets his wish.”

Tazanna could not stop laughing anymore, letting it out freely. “Only you, Amber. So, where are you planning to take me?” She was already thinking about her mother who had taken two days off because of her birthday in a day’s time.

“There is a super fun club that Kyle has been taking me to. You’ll love it. Handsome men, no strings attached kinda vibe.”

Tazanna raised an eyebrow at her, “so you are taking me out to get me to hook up with a stranger?”

Amber smirked, “well, it’s your birthday at midnight. What better way than to spend it with a gorgeous man between your legs? I know for a fact you haven't had s*x since breaking up with that ass of a man you called boyfriend.” Amber held her finger up. “And those battery-operated things are not the real thing. Just how do you use those things with your mom around? They are loud!”

Tazanna gawked at her friend, “just how in the hell did you even find out about those?”

Amber crossed her arms, leaning her hip on the table, and looked at her friend as if she was crazy, “like seriously? You keep them in your top drawer, and I have been into your room a time or two and you have asked me to look for something or another in those same drawers.”

Tazanna made a face before shaking her head, “well, at least I am not going to suffer from infidelity from that. The only time it breaks my heart is when the battery is finished and I have no spares.”

“Enough!” Amber blocked her ears. “Be ready to go by nine. We will have a late dinner and then head to the club.”

Tazanna sighed, knowing she was not going to be able to back out from this. “ OK. So apart from your hotty, who else is going?”

Amber shrugged, “there is that guy in accounts who has always had a huge crush on you. He found Kyle and me talking and decided to invite himself.”

Tazanna groaned. Paul was their financial officer who had had a huge crush on Tazanna since he joined the company about a year and a half ago. He never denied it nor hid it. And any girl would have been so lucky to have landed him as a partner. He was tall, masculine, and handsome with his thick curly blonde hair falling over his hazel eyes, giving him a boyish look. He drove an awesome car and lived in a fancy apartment and was an all-around great guy. But Tazanna had been burnt by someone who also appeared like a good guy. And as the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy. She was now very skeptical about good guys. She’d rather know from the beginning that the person wanted one night and that’s it.

“Just humor him for the night but make your stance known to him,” Amber advised.

Tazanna rolled her eyes, “I think he has selective deafness when it comes to me saying no. Anyway,” she shook her head. “Maybe when he sees me flirting with other men tonight he’ll back out.”

“Cross your fingers,” Amber stated as she made her way to the door. “I better get back to work. Don’t be late!”

Tazanna waited until her friend left the office before she reached for her phone. Quickly dialing her mother’s number, she drummed her fingernails on the huge mahogany desk as she waited for her call to connect. “Ma, hi!”

“Hey, baby,” her mother replied. “Everything OK?”

“Oh, yeah. Yes, all is good. I just wanted to inform you that I have been invited out for the night. Amber and her beau are taking me to a club. I know that you are off for me.”

Jazmine laughed, “ Thank goodness! I need a bit more sleep before I can function as a human. So, you go out with your friends tonight, and then tomorrow and Sunday are mine.”

Tazanna chuckled, “thanks, mama. I will see you soon.”

“Ok, baby. Have a good day.”

Once the call was disconnected, Tazanna dove back into her work, making sure she finalized all the changes from Sam in regard to the presentation before she called it a day. By the time she was satisfied with all her work, it was going to be seven that evening. Collecting her things, she made her way to the parking lot, surprised to find Kyle still around.

“Hey Kyle,” she smiled as she approached the tall man who was leaning on his black dodge. “What are you still doing here? Thought Amber got you out to get ready for the night?”

Kyle gave her a little nod. He was a man of few words. “I am waiting for the new security recruits to lock up.” He had his arms crossed, his tattoo in view.

Tazanna had always loved the design of a crescent moon which had three things in it and a sword running through it. She could see words written on it in an intrinsic design though she was never close enough to read them. And the tattoo seemed to be a part of him. There was no raised skin over it, just smooth, taunted muscles. “ OK, well. See you later.”

Kyle nodded once again and straightened up, his dark eyes following her as she made her way to her car. He watched her as she pulled away, her tail lights fading before he got into his car and drove off as well.

Tazanna glanced in her rearview mirror, watching as Kyle watched her car before he got into his own. She chuckled and shook her head, knowing all that he said about new recruits was a lie. He probably took Amber home and then, having an inkling that she was working late, came to make sure she left the office safely. That was his thing. When he first joined, it had made Tazanna a little uncomfortable. He had seemed to be everywhere she was. But as time went by, she noticed he did that for all the female workers, so she relaxed.

Her drive home wasn’t eventful and soon she was glad as she pulled her car to a stop.

Like clockwork, Mr. Sanz opened his door and walked out. “How you doing, young lady?”

“Hello, Mr. Sanz!” Tazanna greeted her as she collected her things from the back of the car. “I am good. You?”

Mr. Sanz rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “eventful. We are in for some crazy times.”

“Aren’t we already there, Mr. Sanz?” Tazanna chuckled. “The world is already spinning on its head and it’s getting crazier by the day.”

“Oh, Anna, you haven’t seen crazy yet,” Mr. Sanz shook his head. “This is going to blow your mind!”

Tazanna laughed, “thank you for the warning, Mr. Sanz. I’ll be heading inside now. You have a good evening.”

Maqual lowered his head in the most respectful way that Tazanna had ever seen. His head was bent, his eyes on the ground. “I wish you the same.”

Tazanna kept her smile in place, shaking her head as she thought about the weird way Mr. Sanz bowed to her. Getting into the house, she found her mother curled on the sofa, the remote control in her hand as she clicked from one channel to the next. “Hey, mama!”

“Hi, Taz,” her mother greeted her, her focus on the screen. “How was work?”

“Good. But Mr. Sanz was acting weird.”

Jazmine looked up at her daughter, her brows up, “he is always weird.”

Tazanna shook her head as she sat next to her mother and snatched the remote from her fingers. She quickly clicked on a few numbers before handing it back to her mother, knowing that was the program she wanted to watch, “weirder than usual. He did this bowing thing as if he was bowing to a royal.”

Jazmine laughed, “yep. That’s weirder than normal.”

“Do you think we should try and find his relatives or something? You are the nurse. Do you think he is suffering from Dementia or Alzheimer's? How can we help him?”

Jazmine shook her head, “it’s not as easy. He’d have to agree to it himself. So unless he is a danger to society, all we can do is make sure he is OK. And I think he is.”

Tazanna bit her lip. Mr. Sanz did not look mentally unstable. Yes, he kept to himself, and yes, he never allowed anyone at his house. But he was also friendly. He knew all the people surrounding them by name. He greeted everyone but kept the conversations short. Could it be the early symptoms of a mental breakdown? Can she ask him to accompany her to the hospital to get checked out if she asked him?

“Whatever you are thinking, stop!” Jazmine warned her daughter without even turning off from the television.

“What?” Tazanna stood up, ready to head upstairs so she could start getting ready for her night out with her friends.

“I know you,” Jazmine turned to look up at her daughter. “You always brought something that needed tending when you were younger. If it wasn’t a bird with a broken wing, it was a student who didn’t have lunch. And right now you have the same look in your eyes as all those other times you tried to help someone or something.”

Tazanna shrugged, “I will not do anything, ma. I promise,” she turned and headed for the stairs. “Providing he doesn’t give me a reason to.” She ran up before her mother could say anything.

“You had better not!” Her mother’s shout followed her.

Tazanna chuckled as she closed her door. Her mother was right. She had always had a call for help whenever she saw that a person needed it. She remembered her mother had to pack extra lunch all the time because she would always share hers with fellow students.

Shrugging out of her work clothes, she placed them into the laundry basket before walking into the bathroom in her matching undergarments. She opened the tap, stepped out, and waited for the water to warm up. Pulling her hair into a loose bun on top of her head, she stepped under the steaming water, closing her eyes as it cascaded down her body, washing away the stresses of the day.

Her shower was a quick one, and soon she was sitting in front of the mirror applying makeup. She opted for a smokey look with light pink lipstick. She shimmered into a purple dress. It was a simple satin dress that reached her knees, with a mesh corset. She finished the look with strappy black heels and silver loop earrings.

It was just in time too, as her phone started ringing. “Hey, Amb?”

“We are downstairs, babe,” Amber announced over the phone.

“ OK, be down in two minutes.” She disconnected the call. Collecting her black clutch, she made her way out of her room. And with a quick wave to her mother, she made it out of the house and to the waiting car.