Trance Page 7

  A distraction is what I needed, at least until Lacey arrived. I threw on an old sweatshirt and pants and walked into the kitchen to chat to my grandparents.

  “Is that what you are wearing?” asked my grandmother.

  “Oh yes, don’t you watch the fashion channel. This is the latest in comfort chic. Straight from Paris.” I pretended to walk the catwalk from the table to the sink. I did a turn and my best model pose at the end of the fake runway.

  “Superb. The designer is a genius,” said Rose. “What time is Lacey coming with the real outfit?”

  “Soon.”

  “It’s not going to give you much time.”

  “How much time do I need? I’ll just brush my hair again and put on makeup. I can do a glam face in under ten minutes. I’ve perfected it.”

  “This isn’t stage though. Don’t go too heavy, men don’t like it when you wear too much makeup.”

  I grinned. “I think I can manage.”

  “Yes, I know, of course you can.” She curled a strand of my red hair behind my ear. “Do you know where he is taking you?”

  “No idea.”

  “Exciting.” I could tell she was studying me for my reaction as she returned to the sink, peeling potatoes for her and granddad’s dinner.

  “Whether it’s exciting or boring, I’m going to have a good time. I’ve decided to make my own fun, whether he wants it or not.”

  I saw her furrow her brow. “Do whatever makes you happy.”

  “Don’t you think I’ll have a good time with him?”

  “Of course I do.” She patted me on the arm like she did when I was a child.

  The front door burst open with a clang. Lacey rushed into the kitchen and held two white shopping bags with her store logo on the side. She held them up to me. “Your stylist has arrived, m’dear.” She dragged me into my bedroom to get changed.

  NINE

  Jason pulled up outside in a pale blue car which had a sleek extended bonnet that curved downward in classic fashion. I wasn’t sure what kind it was, but I could tell it was something special.

  “Cool car,” said my grandfather, as he and my grandmother peered out from the side of the curtain. “Looks like a late 60’s Maserati. It’s in mint condition. He must have paid a fortune for it.”

  I had no idea about cars, but it did look cool. Not what I expected him to drive at all. My heart jumped into my throat as he opened the car door and got out looking over at the house. I quickly jumped back from the window and pressed my back against the wall so he wouldn’t see me peering out at him. Everyone else did the same. I was sure he’d think we were freaks if he saw us all staring.

  “He looks different than I expected him to look,” said my grandfather.

  “What did you think he’d look like?” I asked.

  “Like that other stage hypnotist. The one that wears dark eyeliner. This guy is normal looking.”

  He didn’t look normal to me, he looked amazing. His shoulder length dark hair had been brushed neatly back and he wore a deep blue shirt and dark pants. My outfit matched perfectly with his. It was almost as if Lacey knew what he was going to wear. Did she dress him too? While I doubted it, I wouldn’t put it past her. She’d left ten minutes ago, leaving me to pace the house until Jason arrived which is just as well, since she’d make me feel even more nervous than I already was.

  The doorbell rang and I raced to answer it before my grandfather could, otherwise who knows what he’d say? I placed my hand on the doorknob, took a breath, and opened it.

  “Wow, you look amazing,” he said.

  “You look pretty spectacular yourself,” I replied.

  My grandfather arrived at the door and I mentally prepared myself for whatever embarrassing thing he would say. “Shall we invite a hypnotist into the house, Rose?” he yelled to my grandmother who had remained politely out of sight. “Maybe he’ll bewitch us all, and we’ll be lost to do his bidding.” He winked at me. I cringed.

  Jason held out his hand. “Thomas Tinks, you don’t know what a pleasure it is to meet you. I’ve seen dozens of your shows. You are a phenomenal talent, sir.”

  My grandfather took his hand and shook it. He smiled. “Well it looks like you have good taste after all. Come in, come in, and meet my wife.” He led him indoors. “Jason Green, this is my wife, the extraordinary Rose Tinks.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he said.

  She smiled and nodded her head. “Likewise.”

  They liked him. I could tell. Which was just as well because I didn’t know what I would do if they didn’t. Even though I was an adult, I still respected their advice.

  “Shall we?” Jason held his arm out for me, bent at the elbow. I grinned and linked mine in his. The same spark of excitement tickled through me, just like I remembered the first time we touched in the mirror maze. We said our goodbye’s and he led me toward his car.

  I knew full well that both my grandparents would be peeking at us through the curtains.

  “Do I get a clue, where you are taking me?” I slid onto the pale blue leather seat and buckled the belt across my lap. Jason got into the driver’s seat and did the same. The interior of the car matched the exterior with sleek retro fittings. Old enough to be ultra cool.

  “You want to know my tricks before I reveal them? Where’s your sense of mystery? I would think you’d know better than anyone, that this will be far more fun if I keep my cards close to my chest.”

  “You’ve bought cards? My kind of date!”

  He turned the ignition and the engine purred in a way that modern cars never could.

  “Then if you can’t tell me where we are going, can you tell me how long it will take to get there?” I asked.

  “Nope. You’ll find out soon enough.”

  “What if I hate it?”

  “Then I’ll implement Plan B.”

  “You have a Plan B?”

  “Can’t be too careful. I like to be organized.”

  “I can see that. Did you find an assistant? To help you become more organized?”

  He looked across at me for a second before looking back at the road. “Not yet. I promised you I wouldn’t hire someone until you gave me an answer.”

  “Since you don’t date your employee’s, and I’m sitting across from you wearing brand new underwear, I think you know my answer already.” I could feel my cheeks burn. Why did I have to mention new underwear?

  He kept his eyes on the road but I could see him trying to stifle a grin. I looked away and stared out the window. I could be such an idiot sometimes. Maybe if I changed the subject.

  “Anyway, I’ll be busy organizing Thomas’s last show. It’s being filmed so he wants to do something spectacular, something new. We’ll need all that time to practice to make sure everything goes smoothly. Can’t have any surprises on live television, can we?”

  “Great. I’ll let my receptionist know to schedule more appointments.”

  The car hit a bump in the road but it felt like there was no jolt at all.

  “Good suspension,” I said.

  “I’ve had some work done on it. It was my fathers. He was into old cars. Used to restore them.”

  “He wasn’t an entertainer?”

  “Oh no. I’m the only black sheep in the family who likes attention. The rest of them prefer a more subdued lifestyle.”

  “Wow. I don’t think I’ve met any performer that hasn’t been from a showbiz family. That’s really interesting. Do you have a big family?”

  “Two sisters. Mother, father. Couple of dogs.”

  “No brothers? Lacey’s going to be terribly disappointed.”

  He laughed. “No brothers.”

  “What do your sisters do?”

  “One’s a school teacher and the other is still in college. She isn’t sure what she wants to do but since she spends most of her time with a head stuck in a book, I suspect she’ll work in a bookstore or be a librarian or something.”

  “I don’t have any bro
thers or sisters.”

  “I know,” he said.

  I frowned. I didn’t like that he seemed to know so much about me, and I knew nothing about him. I didn’t ask any more questions about his family, choosing instead to look back out of the window.

  We’d been driving for fifteen minutes, making small talk, when he pulled off the main road and toward a large circus tent set up in a field. A makeshift parking lot had been set up at the back of the tent.

  “You’re taking me to the circus,” I said.

  “Points for observation.”

  “It’s a little hard to miss, what with all the stripes and flags.” And a little obvious. I liked things other than watching other people perform, you know. I began to wonder just how much he knew about me after all. The only things he seemed to know was anything he’d read online. Any warmth I had toward him was gradually fading as I thought about what he might have read or believed to be true.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Fine. Let’s go watch the show.”

  Once we got under the tent, I realized we were the only people here, apart from aerialist’s practicing their routines on the trapeze above our heads. “Are we early?”

  “Sort of,” he said.

  A man in a casual slouched top and shorts walked over to us, giving Jason a quick hug. He turned to look at me up and down. I was already feeling uncomfortable but this was just inappropriate. He looked back at Jason and winked.

  Not one word to me. No hello. Nothing. Just a quick glance at me and he walked away. This was incredible.

  “What are we doing here?” I asked.

  “We’re going to learn the trapeze. Haven’t you ever wanted to learn?”

  I looked up. Of course, I’d wanted to be a trapeze artist and sail through the air. What sane girl didn’t? “Why did that man stare at me like he did? It was a little creepy, don’t you think?”

  “Pierre? Oh he was sizing you - for your outfit. He can tell just by looking at someone what they’ll look best in, and we can’t exactly wear our regular clothes up there. He also doesn’t speak.”

  “He doesn’t speak English?”

  “He doesn’t speak at all. Nothing. He’s a good guy though.”

  Pierre came back holding two aerialist outfits. Jason’s was dark, plain and by the look of it - tight. Mine looked like a corset with soft pink frills around the waist that cascaded like a cloud to form a skirt. Tiny glass beads of all shades of pink and blue covered the middle. It sparkled under the lights, so soft, so feminine, so me.

  “This is beautiful.” The fabric was light and soft, and felt like you were holding air.

  Pierre pointed to a door at the side, which I assumed was our changing rooms.

  “Now?” He nodded and smiled.

  “It’s better than flying,” said Jason as he reached for my hand. “I hope you like it.”

  We walked into the change room together which had been sectioned off with thick curtains so he wouldn’t see me get changed.

  “Mine’s a bit tight,” said Jason on the other side of the curtain.

  “I thought you said he was a genius at sizing people?”

  “I didn’t say he was a genius. Are you decent?”

  “Uhuh.” I pulled the strap over my shoulder and looked into the mirror watching how the tiny beads from my costume caught the light and flattered my shape. “Maybe he’s just a genius with women’s clothing,” I said as I swayed from side to side. “He and Lacey should start a business together.”

  Jason whistled. I turned and saw his head sticking out of the curtain watching me. I did a pirouette. “You like?”

  “There are no words. You look amazing.”

  “Amazing is a word.” I grinned. “Well come on then, your turn. Show me your costume.”

  He hesitated. “It’s very tight.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that. Out you come.”

  He stepped tentatively into my section of the change room, his hands in front of his body trying to hide any bulges that could embarrass him.

  All I saw was his arms, strong, muscled. His torso, firm, athletic. His chest, tight, broad. I gulped and turned away quickly so my cheeks wouldn’t burn anymore than they already had.

  Pierre came in and ushered us silently back to the big top and to a tall ladder.

  I’d never been scared of heights, thank goodness, but when I reached the top of the ladder to the tiny platform, I felt giddy. Even though there was a net below, and enough rails to hold onto, it was nerve wracking being up so high. Jason was right behind me. Probably so he could get a good view of my ass as we climbed the ladder. I didn’t mind. Not anymore. I may have been a bit annoyed with him at first, but my nerves were abating any negative thoughts. And he did look smoking hot in that tight outfit.

  A female instructor took me under her wing, and a male one took Jason. We practiced our swings by holding onto the bar and just letting ourselves be pulled through the air. Next we tried sitting on the bar, which led to holding on with our knees. That was the scariest, but most fun, part of the lesson.

  “Try doing it without holding on,” whispered my instructor. “See what it feels like.”

  I did. It felt like I was flying. The tiny pink skirt billowing behind me like silk. Back at the platform, Jason whispered to me, “You’re doing great. You look gorgeous out there.”

  “What about here?”

  “Yeah,” he said, breathlessly. “Definitely.”

  My heart skipped a beat.

  “Want to try a catch?” asked my instructor. I looked up. The male instructor was on the other side. He was going to swing out as I did, so he could catch me. I nodded enthusiastically.

  I missed his hands on the first swing, but he grabbed me on the second and I swung off my trapeze and through the air, only held by the instructor’s arms. “I’m going to drop you now.”

  He let go and I landed on the net, bouncing up and down a few times before I rolled to the side and off. I watched them instruct Jason on how to catch. Surely they weren’t going to ask him to try and catch me. We were beginners.

  But they did.

  If I was nervous climbing the ladder earlier, I was even more so now. He couldn’t catch me, he’d just learned what to do. I reached the top and looked down at the net. At least I wasn’t going to kill myself. That would have made a great headline. Flat Scarlett.

  I held my breath as I climbed onto the swing.

  “You can do this,” said my instructor.

  “But can he? Will he catch me?”

  “Trust yourself and trust him,” she said. I bit my lip. I wasn’t sure I was capable of either.

  I swung out.

  My heart was thumping a million miles an hour.

  He was going to drop me.

  I was going to fall.

  I closed my eyes as the trapeze sailed toward him.

  His fingers brushed against mine, slipping out of reach.

  “Open your eyes, Scarlett,” he said. “Look at me.”

  I opened my eyes as I swung back toward the platform. I couldn’t see him at this angle until I swung back out.

  “Reach for me,” he said.

  I took another deep breath as the trapeze swung back toward him.

  We swung closer and closer to each other.

  I reached out.

  He was going to miss me.

  His hands came into view and I stretched out as far as I could toward him.

  He reached out for me.

  Strong hands wrapped around my wrists and pulled me off my swing with a jerk, and we both sailed through the tent, swinging together.

  I looked up. “You caught me.”

  He grinned. “Didn’t I tell you I would?”

  TEN

  Back in my regular clothes, I looked up at the aerialists performing tricks that made my pulse race. They’d twirl and spin in mid air. Pierre and the two trapeze instructors bowed low to us. I gave them all a hug, even Pierre, to say thank you fo
r the lesson.

  Jason took my hand leading me outside.

  “That was really fun,” I said.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Are you hungry?”

  “Am I ever.” I was famished. Flying through the air makes a girl, or at least this one, ravenous. “What’s on the menu?”

  “Follow me, you’ll find out.”

  We walked back to his car hand in hand. While we had been inside the tent, the sky had darkened. A million tiny stars and one large moon had appeared out of nowhere. I opened the car door and got into my seat, pulling the belt across me.

  Jason opened the car boot and then slammed it shut. It caused the car to jump. He walked around to my side and rapped on my window. “Are you coming?”

  He was holding a blanket and a large cane basket.

  “We aren’t driving anywhere?”

  “Where could we go that would beat this view?”

  I didn’t know what he was talking about. We were out in a field, in the middle of nowhere.

  “Come on,” he said.

  I got back out of the car and followed behind him.

  He walked toward a large tree and at first, I thought he was going to stop there so we could have a picnic underneath it, but he continued further past it.

  When he did finally stop, my mouth hung open. We were up high. It didn’t seem like it, but he’d led me to the edge of the field, so high it sat above our city. I could see it all from here. The buildings, the houses. Even the fairground that lay on the outskirts of town.

  “Wow, I’ve never been here. I didn’t even know it existed.”

  “I think the owner would probably like to keep it that way, too. He’s not a huge fan of people trespassing on his property.”

  “We’re here illegally?”