Chapter 8: S.O.S
1913 Words
Madeleine zipped her plum hued gown up and tied the satin ribbon around her waist, letting the bow sit off to the side above her left hip. She looked over the strapless dress and ran her fingers along the beadwork that she had done on it.
She had never thought that she would be wearing her project, but she didn't really have any other gowns just laying around. Madeleine walked over to her closet and pulled a pair of silver stilettos from the shelf. She sat down on her chaise lounge to slip them on. One strap ran across her toes and the other wrapped around her ankle.
Madeleine stood in her bathroom and began to brush cool tone greys onto her eyelids. She ran a rich dark purple into the crease of her eyes. Madeleine then took her liquid liner and created a cat eye. She added a little bit of blush to the apples of her cheeks and carefully ran a dark lipstick along her lips.
She sighed as she pressed her lips together and walked out of her room to grab her silver clutch.
Her front door felt like it was a mile away as she reluctantly walked towards it. She would rather stay at home with Christian, if he was around.
Theresa had worked so hard to push her towards this dating app and she needed to at least give it a try. She couldn't be single forever, not that being single forever was a problem. She just didn't want to be single anymore. It was lonely and she craved to talk to someone intimately.
Determination filled her and she grabbed the skirt of her gown as she opened her front door. She flung it open and shut it behind herself, locking it.
She walked down the hallway and the sounds of her neighbors echoed around her. They weren't quiet to say the least and most of the time she knew everyone's business.
The man next door had frequent visitors and more often than not, slept with them. He wasn't quiet about it either. She sometimes would count how many orgasms a partner would hit and often that would exceed twenty.
Madeleine ignored the sounds of the busy street around her as she made her way to her car. The drive to the restaurant wasn't too bad and she got there fairly early.
She passed the valet her keys and walked up to the front doors. The building was old and from the Victorian era with golden doors.
She took a deep breath and opened the door. It didn't take her long to spot the man from the app. He stood out from the crowd with his rogue-like charm. Her heart skipped a beat as she walked up to him.
"Good Evening, Madeleine." The man smiled at her and took her hand in his. He pressed his lips against her knuckles in greeting.
"Evening, Jacques." Madeleine smiled at the man and peered into his bright blue eyes.
"Shall we sit down?" Jacques led her to the front desk. "I have a reservation."
"Name?" The woman smiled at them and waited for his answer.
A pen rolled off the table and fell on the floor at his feet. He bent down to pick it up, but as he stood back up... he hit his head on a passing tray.
"I am so sorry, Monsieur." The woman apologized as he rubbed his head and passed her the pen.
"It's quite alright. No harm." Jacques awkwardly smiled as he blushed with embarrassment. "Um, the table should be under Jacques."
"Right. Follow me." She smiled and led them to their table.
"This place is really nice. You didn't have to." Madeleine spoke to him as he put her arm in the crook of his elbow.
"It's no bother. I wanted this to be a nice evening for you." Jacques smiled and stopped in front of the table set for two.
He pulled a chair out for her with his free hand and stared into her peridot eyes. She brushed her skirt beneath her as she took her seat. Jacques pushed her chair in before he walked around to sit in his own one.
"I thought we could get to know one another over a little wine and a three-course meal. I looked at your profile and it seemed amazing. You are very talented." Jacques began to sit down, but the chair slid back slightly.
He fell onto the ground and Madeleine gasped as she suddenly stood up to peer over the table. "Are you alright?"
"Fine. I'm normally not this clumsy. I am so sorry." Jacques stood up from the floor with a blush. He cleared his throat and brushed off his grey suit. He made sure to pay extra attention to where the chair was in relation to himself as he successfully sat down.
"I'm sorry. Why don't we talk about you? What is it that you do for work?" Madeleine took up her glass of wine that had been poured for her.
"I work as an actor for a small production company that is family owned." Jacques lied and he reached out for his wine glass, only for it to tip over and spill across the table and onto his pants.
"Do you? That's interesting." Madeleine leaned back as their first course was set in front of them.
"Yes, I have done a few films." Jacques wet his napkin and began to try to remove the red wine from his slacks. "So, you're in school."
"I am. I'm working towards being a designer." Madeleine smiled and picked up her fork to begin eating.
"I'm sure a woman with your talents will get there." Jacques flirted and poured himself another glass of wine. He smirked at her as he peered over his glass, taking a long drink. If he had his way, by the end of this date she would be in his bed.
A waitress walked by and tripped, causing her tray to tip and hot soup to pour over Jacques's head.
Madeleine covered her mouth as she watched the man hide in his dark hair. "I am- are you alright?" She stood up and walked around to try and use her napkin to clean him up.
"I'm fine." He yanked her napkin from her and began to clean himself. "I can do it myself. Tonight, is definitely not going how I had planned."
Madeleine nodded and sat back down in her seat. She noticed how his gaze kept straying to her breasts and how he no longer appeared like the type of man that she should be around. "Tell me. What were your plans this evening, exactly?"
"Just a nice dinner is all. Maybe a stroll through a park nearby." Jacques set the napkin on the table.
"Hm." Madeleine nodded and took a sip of her wine. "And you had no other motives when you saw my photo in that app."
"Of course not. I just wanted to spend a lovely night with a beautiful woman." Jacques covered up his ulterior motive with lies.
"Tell me more about yourself." Madeleine took a bite of her food. She wanted this date to be over and she could tell that he was hiding something.
"Well, I am thirty years old and have a dog. She's a poodle. You'd love her, I'm sure." Jacques smirked at her and Madeleine shrugged.
"I'm more of a cat person really." She was unphased by his words as she took another bite.
"I live in an expensive mansion with my own assistant. I love to cook and I have a lavish bedroom that I would love to show y-" He was cut off by a sudden jab in the kidney. He groaned and Madeleine raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you alright?" Madeleine became worried about him as he choked on his bite of food. She watched him take a sip of his wine with a confused expression.
"I- I'm fine." Jacques lied and rubbed his back in confusion. He didn't know what had punched him, but it had hurt enough to make him stop talking.
"You were saying?" Madeleine tried to keep him talking. She wanted the date to go by faster.
"It's not important. What is it that you are interested in?" Jacques smiled and began to eat.
"I love vintage items and the stories that they may tell." Madeleine got lost in the thoughts of Christian. She still missed him, and it seemed like this date wouldn't work to keep him from her thoughts.
"Why old things? New things are so much better." Jacques scoffed and took a sip of his wine as they got the next course.
Madeleine felt like she was an i***t for liking old items. She thought about how maybe she was weird to love such things.
"I mean new is always better. To advance within history and leave it behind like it never happened is the most logical choice. Surely you see that?" Jacques chuckled as he began to eat the next part of their meal.
"No, I really don't. To forget where we came from? How do we learn if we forget the mistakes that we have made? How can we get any better? We should just keep repeating the tragedies that have occurred? Is that what you would like?" Something about it rubbed her the wrong way and she found herself fighting back tears as she remembered Christian's story. "How can you sit there and think that that is okay?"
"History won't repeat itself. That's just false information spread by the school system." Jacques rolled his eyes and Madeleine gripped the skirt of her gown in her fist.
She felt like an i***t and she began to become angry with this close-minded man that was sitting across from her. She wanted to throw her wine in his face but knew better than that.
"If you'll excuse me. I'll be right back." Madeleine excused herself to the restroom.
Jacques raised his glass and scoffed as he watched her leave with his gaze on her rounded behind.
He peered down as he took a sip of his wine and the glass knocked back too far, causing it to spill down the front of his suit. "Oh hell." He cursed under his breath. "Tonight, has been a complete disa-" He choked as he gripped his throat. He felt like someone had punched him in the adam's apple.
***
Madeleine locked herself in a bathroom stall and sniffed as tears fell. She took her cell phone out and searched for Theresa's phone number. She pushed the call button and put the phone to her ear.
"Hey, Theresa?" Her voice came out broken and put her best friend on high alert. "Can you come get me?"
"Is your car there?" Theresa was worried about her best friend and needed to know if she needed to bring Michel with her.
"My car is here. Yes." Madeleine barely got the words out and Theresa sighed.
"I'll bring Michel to pick up your car and drive you home. Be right there, girl. Sit tight." Theresa hung up and Madeleine buried her face in her hands as she sobbed.
All she wanted was Christian to be there. She needed him and he wasn't anywhere to be found. It hurt her and broke her heart. She didn't realize how alone she had been until he had disappeared.
- Writer
