Encounter With Darkness

Kara glanced with irritation at her watch and sighed in exasperation as she saw that it was only fifteen minutes since she had last looked. It was going to be long night, she thought as she placed another empty cup and plate into the dishwasher and started the machine’s quick wash cycle.
For not the first time that evening she wondered why she had agreed to help her best friend in her café. Jenny’s desperate phone call the night before had caught Kara at a low point when she was feeling vulnerable after her break up with Pete. Vulnerable enough to agree to any suggestion that was made that involved her getting out of the flat they had shared for so long. Getting out and spending the evening manning Jenny’s café whilst Jenny worked the crowds at the Halloween parade.
Normally, the café closed at 6 o’clock in the evenings, after most of the workforce had begun their journeys home, fortified by a last cup of coffee and a freshly baked cookie. Tonight, however, was Halloween and this year the Mayor of Cooperbridge had declared that all days of celebration should be enjoyed throughout the town whilst it celebrated its 150th anniversary. A large Halloween parade had been organised to walk down Main Street with the bars and cafes encouraged to stay open during the parade to provide refreshments for those partaking in the parade and the party that would follow at City Hall where the parade concluded.
On the whole, it had been a successful evening. Kara and the two kitchen assistants had served a variety of colourful non alcoholic punches and cocktails with descriptive names like Vampire’s Blood and Witch’s Brew alongside sandwiches made to look like severed fingers, skeleton gingerbreads and other tempting snacks designed to appeal to families enjoying the Halloween parade.
Jenny had mingled with the costumed crowds handing out little cards inviting people to call into the café and enjoy some themed refreshments. There had been times when the café had been packed with families in various scary costumes who had been amazed at the various creative snacks that were on offer whilst their children had shrieked over the severed fingers and pretended to be poisoned by the bright green Witch’s Brew.
Kara had cursed Jenny, then. Muttered under her breath whilst she had tried to keep up with the various demands that had been flung at her from the hordes of ghouls, goblins, witches and vampires that had flocked to the café. At one point it had seemed as though she had been overwhelmed by zombies and goblins, there had been so many of the in costume. She hadn’t really minded, though. The high demand had kept her occupied both mentally and physically giver he no time to dwell upon her broken heart. Time had passed by in a blur of colourful costumes and excited voices.
That is, apart from this last period. It was quarter to midnight and all of the revellers were now gathering outside City Hall for the judging of the fancy dress costumes and the party that the Mayor was hosting. The last of her customers had just left and she had let Bernie and Emma join the parade once all of the food had been served. Now there was just the last bit of tidying up to do and the counting up of the cash in the register before locking it away in the safe.
She reached under the counter for the keys to lock up when the small bell over the door jingled loudly as the door was slowly pushed open. She sighed in frustration, visions of her soft, comfortable bed rapidly disappearing as she looked up to see who had entered the café.
As her emerald eyes landed on the man in the doorway she felt as though the world around her had ground to a halt. Time that had passed so swiftly earlier now seemed to drag by, millisecond by millisecond, as she took in the long, muscular legs encased in the form fitting black denim. A leather belt, with a skull and crossbones buckle, encircled his lean waist whilst a plain, black t-shirt hugged his muscular torso, giving a sexy definition to the well developed pectoral muscles that she could see above the washboard flat stomach. The black leather motorcycle jacket seemed barely able to contain the power that the broad shoulders hinted at.
Her eyes travelled up to his face and she felt as though all of her senses had sprung into an overwhelming celebration of life, mirroring the excitement of the earlier parade outside the café. His skin was a deep golden colour, stretched tautly over a firm jaw line and high cheekbones. Mirrored sunglasses hid his eyes from her gaze before she raised her own eyes to the thick, slightly overlong black hair that seem to gleam with a vitality she had never encountered before.
He was, she thought to herself as he approached the counter with the grace of a large feline, a very fine example of sex on a stick as Jenny would have described him.
Yet, despite his devastating attractiveness there was also an air of darkness that seemed to surround him. She didn’t know whether it was the brightness of the fluorescent lighting that made his black clothing even blacker or a combination of the aftermath of the earlier chaos and Jenny’s favourite Got band playing some mournful tune on the stereo. Whatever it was, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck raise in tingling awareness as he reached the counter before her.
“I hope that I am not too late for a cup of coffee?”
His voice had a slight accent amongst the rough, gravely tones that seemed to vibrate along her nerves in a not unpleasant manner. Soft waves of feeling flowed through her body, basking her in a gentle warmth that she had never felt before, not even with Pete. For the first time that evening she felt truly glad that she had agreed to stay in the café whilst Jenny worked the crowds outside.
“I think there’s enough left for one final brew,” she replied, reaching for the coffee pot. Surprisingly, despite all of the emotions swirling around inside, her voice was completely calm, revealing nothing to the stranger.
The stranger smiled his thanks, revealing a set of strong, white teeth that would anyone green with envy at their perfection. Kara could feel her heart give a little stutter at the impact of those teeth alone, so bright against the darkness of his skin and clothing.
“You are not going to the party?”
“I was going up there once I’d finished here,” Kara replied, not wanting to admit that she would soon be making the lonely journey to her empty flat, alone.
“Alone?”
Kara felt as though his hidden eyes were trying to see inside her for some reason, which was  a ludicrous sensation. No one could look inside you to your innermost thoughts. The lateness of the hour combined with it being Halloween and the stranger’s unusual aura were all contributing to her overactive imagination.
“I’m meeting my friends up there.” She hadn’t actually confirmed to Jenny and the others that she would be joining them but he didn’t need to know that.
“Good.” He smiled at her and Kara felt her body respond once more to the effects of his smile. She looked away before her eyes darted back to his sensuous mouth. Was it her imagination or did his canine teeth seem unnaturally pointed in a more realistic way than the hundreds of false teeth that she had seen worn by the would be vampires that had called at the café.
She shook her head mentally and gave the counter a quick wipe over. Goodness, she had seen too many vampires and other strange creatures that night that she was imagining any mysterious stranger had to be more than what he appeared to be.
The stranger raised his hand slightly and looked as his watch. Kara found her eyes hungrily drinking in the sight of the golden skin covering the long, supple fingers and wide, yet graceful hands. A fine dusting of black hair feathered the backs of his hands, reaching up to his wrists and appearing to continue up his arms that were hidden by the leather jacket. Kara could see the edge of a tattoo that seemed to wrap around one slender wrist and she wondered how far it spread over his arm and what the design was. She had always been fascinated by tattoos and this just made the stranger even more attractive to her.
“You will miss the start of the party and the judging of the costumes.”
“Unfortunately, yes, but I shouldn’t miss too much if I hurry.” She looked pointedly at his cup before rinsing out the empty coffee jug. She felt rude trying to get him to hurry up but if she lingered with him, which was what she really wanted to do, then he would not believe her earlier statement about meeting the others.
“I could give you a ride up there,” he offered, draining his coffee without any reaction to how hot or strong it must have been.
Kara’s eyes flew once more to his face and she felt again the impact of his rugged sexuality and dark aura. “You would?”
The stranger nodded as he handed her his empty mug. “My bike is parked just outside and I have a spare helmet that you can use.”
“But, I don’t even know your name!”
One lean, golden hand reached out to her whilst the other whipped off the mirrored sunglasses to reveal a pair of the palest, ice blue eyes that she had ever seen.
“Dante Kostantis,” he introduced.
“Kara Jones,” she replied and placed her hand in his much larger one. Frissons of excitement coursed through her body at his touch.
“Shall we go?” he asked, offering his hand to her.
Kara nodded and accepted his hand as they walked out of the café. She resolutely ignored the little voice in her head that warned her about his pointed teeth!