Recessive Gifts Read online

  Zena could tell that Que was worried about Zena’s well-being. She couldn’t help but smile, knowing that Que genuinely did care about her. “I promise I will be careful. And I will watch out for who I talk with, so I won’t be roofied.”

  Que walked off with the guy in black, glancing back at Zena with a worried look on her face until she was out of her sight.

  Zena sat alone at the bar with her cocktail, enjoying the classical music that was currently playing. She started to envision her usual random thoughts. It didn’t take long for her to go into her little wonderland. Zena closed her eyes as she let the music consume her. Thoughts of fantasy scenarios danced in her mind. Little did she know, there was something inside of her that started to awaken slowly. There was a small flicker of energy emitting from her. At that moment, Zena began something that she wouldn’t be able to go back from, even if she tried.

  *******

  Yuri and Liam felt something dragging them to the barroom as they continued their search for the woman with that delightful smell. Liam was the first one to find the source of the scent. His heart raced as he looked at her. She was stunning, as she stood out in the room full of people. Liam could have sworn he could see a light emitting from her so that it could get his attention as it felt like it was only the two of them in the room. To him, she shined like the Aurora borealis in the night sky. His heart screamed to him that she was ‘the one.’

  Yuri turned his head to Liam’s direction, his whole-body tingled as he looked at the same woman and fed off Liam’s emotions. He fought back against whatever that was trying to spark within him. She was stunning and looked delicious, but he wasn’t going to be captured into falling in love with another woman again. He wasn’t willing to open his heart to anyone. Deep inside, no matter how much he didn’t want to get serious with her, there was something that told him to make her his. He wanted her to be at his side, to have her in his presence. Why did he feel like he was going to lose to her? Yuri wasn’t the type of person who would lose in a fight or go down easily, but with her, if he didn’t stay on his game, then Liam would be right about what he teased earlier.

  Liam didn’t hesitate to walk up to Zena with a grin on his face. “Halò, Nubian queen. Why is such a lovely wummen sitting here alone when you should be dancing in the arms of a handsome lad.”

  Zena jumped, holding her chest to compose herself from Liam’s sudden appearance. “Holy shit! You scared the crap out of me. I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t be daydreaming like that.” She realized the pickup line Liam used on her, raising her eyebrow. “Nubian queen? Did you really go there?” She tried not to laugh, pressing her hand over her mouth, trying her best to hold back her snickering.

  Liam's grin grew wider. “Too much? I’m sorry.” He began to use his charms on Zena. “I jus’ couldn’t think of any other things to say to a lovely lady like yourself. I thought it would work.”

  Zena stared at Liam, before she started to laugh, blushing from his charms. As she smiled, she got a good look at Liam. She couldn’t help but think how handsome Liam was, more like extremely attractive. Just being in his presence made her feel like she was way out of his league. Did he have a strong Irish-Scottish accent? Zena loved the Irish and Scottish culture and dialect. The way Irish and Scottish people talked was a turn on. She wished she had an Irish or Scottish friend so she could hear them talk all the time. There was something about Liam that she just wanted to tell him to take her. Her heart raced as her body began to get hot.

  “Well, at least you get an A for effort.” Zena finally replied with a captivating expression. She hoped she did not do anything dumb.

  Liam's eyes sparkled. He looked glad she did not get offended or mad from his comment. “Oh, thank god! I thought you would chew me up for saying that.”

  Zena giggled. “Why would I? I can tell you didn’t mean ill intent when you said that. But maybe you should try something else when hitting on a colored woman, ok?”

  Liam made a funny, charming expression. “Noted, use a different approach when flirting with fine candy.”

  Zena laughed again. Liam couldn’t look away from Zena. He liked the way she laughed; it was adorable. The way her cheeks moved made her round face look more breathtaking. Not to mention, she smelled so good. It took everything in him to not let out the other side of him, but he wanted to be the perfect gentleman.

  “Well, I’m glad I can make the lovely lady laugh.” The charm kept coming, as he grabbed on to Zena’s hand, pulling it to his lips. “My name is Liam. Liam Iris. Can you be gracious enough to tell me your lovely name?”

  She couldn’t help but laugh again because Liam was so charming, she couldn’t even think straight. She attempted to talk like she was in the 19th century, or at least tried. “That’s an interesting way to charm a lady at a themed costume party. You even have courting down pretty well with the gestures.” she giggled. “My name is Zena. It’s nice to meet you, Liam Iris,” she said Liam’s name in an adoring way.

  Liam bowed like the gentleman he was. He played along with what Zena was doing. With his accent, it made it even more alluring and fun. The way Zena said Liam’s name made his cock want to harden right then and there. “Well, the pleasure is all mine, my fair lady,” He sweetly kissed Zena’s hand.

  Zena and Liam began to snicker from the fun they were having. Liam pulled up a chair next to Zena and ordered a drink for him. He asked the bartender to make a drink for Zena and let her choose what she wanted.

  “So, what brings you to a party like this?”

  Zena became a little shifty and hesitant. “Well….” She was debating whether to tell Liam why she was there or not. She felt like she could tell Liam anything, and he would listen without judgment.

  “Well, what?” Liam asked, comically raising his eyebrow.

  Zena shrugged her shoulders. She wasn’t supposed to be there anyway. Might as well brag a little about it before she gets kicked out. “I kinda crashed the party with my new friend. She was the one who planned this,” She waved her arm around, gesturing Que was the one who decorated the party. “She wasn’t allowed to be at this party, even though she was the planner, so she said she would crash it.”

  “That’s pretty interesting. So, where is she now?” Liam rested his head on his hand, getting drawn into what Zena was saying.

  “Well, a guy who is the assistant of the host noticed that she was here and wanted to talk with her,” She sighed. “So, I’m here waiting for her to get back. I have no idea if we are going to get kicked out or not.”

  Liam started cackling in laughter. Zena began to laugh along with him. While the two were enjoying themselves, Yuri decided to make an appearance. He heard what the two were talking about across the room but still acted like he didn’t. As he walked up to Liam, he couldn’t help but be enchanted by Zena when she was laughing. It made him want to smile and laugh along with her, but Yuri wasn’t much of a person who laughed or smiled. Whatever wall he had up wasn’t even a match for this woman.

  “And what are you two laughing about?” Yuri asked as he stood on the other side of Zena. He kept a calm and straight face as he looked at the two together. He couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous that Liam was such a charmer. He could almost make anyone smile or laugh.

  “Oh, hey Yuri, there you are,” Liam beamed as he waved at Yuri. “I was wondering where you went off too. I thought you were right behind me.”

  “I saw you chatting with this lovely lady and thought I’d let you have your time to chat her up a little,” Yuri smirked slightly.

  Liam and Yuri had a little system when it came to picking up women. Liam would swoop in and use his witty social charm. After a couple of laughs and flirting, Yuri would come into the picture and work his magic. All he had to do is be himself and let things play out. It was all up to the woman to be enchanted by his looks and elegance. Once that worked, the woman would have the option of picking one of them, and if it was brought up in a way that she would be willing, them
both. They never outright suggest that a woman should sleep with them both or try to convince her to do it. It had to be all up to her. If she wanted it, then they would act on it.

  Zena’s body shivered as she heard Yuri's voice. His Russian accent was alluring. When she turned around, she was almost speechless. Yuri was handsome as well. The way he presented himself seemed like he was a prince or king. There was no denying the fact that Yuri was a wealthy man from his posture. Zena felt like she wanted to shrink and disappear. She didn’t know what to say to him, as she knew she was probably drooling at how handsome he was. Falling into her dark abyss, Zena looked down, holding her hands. She couldn’t believe that she was talking to two handsome men. Both she would like to have a chance with, but she knew she wasn’t pretty enough to try. Again, she knew she was pretty and knew damn well she was beautiful. She just thought she wasn’t attractive enough to be with men like Liam and Yuri. For some reason, she could picture dating them both, like there was a chance maybe.

  Zena was a single woman. So, she could date anyone and not commit. She knew a lot of people who dated plenty of different people. It wouldn’t be wrong to have Que as a friend who she had casual sex with and maybe the same with Liam and Yuri. She was open to an open relationship scenario. She could have a primary partner but have physical and meaningful relationships with other people while the leading partner was aware of the other person. Who said or made the rule that someone can’t have something meaningful with more than one person?

  Yuri looked like he could read Zena’s mind as his mouth curved slightly. His eyes gave away that he liked the reaction Zena was making, and it was entertaining to him. Liam watched Yuri's facial expression slightly altering. He knew what was on Yuri’s mind and was excited that it seemed like Yuri was coming out of his shell a little, and he couldn’t hide a smile from Liam.

  Liam's eyes went brighter, as he began to get animated. “Well, come join in on our conversation. Zena, this is my close friend Yuri. We came here together.” Liam noticed Zena had zoned out a little and found it cute. He could smell that she started to feel a bit shy and enchanted to be around two handsome men. “Halò, Zena, you there?” he waved his hand over Zena's face.

  Zena jumped, realizing she was shielding herself from getting false hopes on landing one of these two guys’ numbers or even seeing them after this party. “I’m sorry. I tend to space out a lot. I also haven’t talked to people in a while. So, I’m sorry in advance if I get silent sometimes or chatty.”

  Yuri moved closer to Zena. “I can tell that you’re a little stiff. You don’t have to be.”

  “You don’t need to force yourself to look good,” Liam suggested. “Just be yourself lov’. I’m pretty sure you won’t scare us off that easily.”

  Zena bit her lip, getting a little nervous. She gawked at her drink before chugging it. Liquor was always the best when something goes south. Then at least she would be a little out of it and could bounce back from any embarrassment. It also helps to open up and be bold. So, if Zena got rejected, she could see the bright side of things. She could blame the liquor for her poor judgment.

  Liam and Yuri sneered at each other as if they were reading each other’s thoughts. Zena was delightful from the way she was acting. Her sudden shyness and trying to make a good impression were getting them worked up. They wanted to see how open she can be when she wasn’t worried about screwing things up with them. She had an aura that felt like she was full of surprises, and when sparked, could be a burning fire.

  “So, Zena, where are you from?” Liam asked.

  “I’m from Texas,” Zena answered, as the liquor made her more relaxed.

  “Wow, so you're a southern girl, eh,” Liam joked, as he made a southern accent. It sounded sexy, along with his already foreign accent.

  “What brings you here to Vegas?” Yuri asked.

  “Well,” Zena shrugged, as she decided to share why she was traveling. She explained to Liam and Yuri how she wanted to be independent and explore things she always wanted to see after her father died, and how she wanted to get away from her family. She was erasing everything of her past and making something new for herself. She told them about her experiences so far, the crazy day she had, and how she almost died. She mentioned Que but didn’t mention her name or their almost sexual encounter.

  Liam was impressed by Zena’s story. He expressed his admiration for how she was bold and fierce. Yuri, on the other hand, had a disapproving look on his face.

  “That wasn’t a smart decision to make,” Yuri scolded coldly. “You may see ill of your family, but you shouldn’t have left the way you did.”

  “What?” Yuri’s words dumbfounded Zena.

  Yuri continued. “And traveling the country alone? What are you, an idiot? No matter what you do to make sure to protect yourself, you’re still a woman. You should have let someone know where you are, so they know where to find you! What about money for stuff like what happened to you?” He could tell Zena didn’t like what she was hearing and couldn’t care less. He was going to say to her all the things she did wrong. “How can you be so careless, going into an unknown place you don’t know anything about? You’re just asking for trouble. Also, staying with a stranger. How can you be so naive and trusting?” He had more to say as he couldn’t hold anything back.

  Zena had enough of being lectured. The enchantment Yuri had on Zena became broken. “No one asked you what you think about the decisions I make!” Her face was livid as she stood up. “You don’t know anything about me to know the reason why I had to do what I did. And yes, I shouldn’t have gone in that cave, but I’m not going to keep living in fear and let stuff hold me back. I have been held back and missed a lot of opportunities in my life! I’m not going to let anyone tell me what I should or should not be doing anymore, even if it’s a bad decision!”

  *****

  Zena stormed off, wanting to get far away from Yuri as possible. Liam gawked at Yuri, puzzled from what he did. Why did Yuri seem overprotective and lecturing a woman he just met? Yuri wasn't a person that gave his opinion on someone's life decisions, let alone give a crap about it. He glanced at Zena, then back at Yuri. Not wanting to lose Zena, he went after her.

  “Hey,” Liam grabbed on to Zena's hand to stop her.

  “What do you want?” Zena said in frustration. She wasn’t in the mood to hear people’s opinions about what she was doing and why. She had enough judgment and people telling her she should do it this way or that way.

  Liam’s heart skipped as he stared into Zena’s eyes. He could see she had a lot of pain and darkness in her. She was on the verge of living an isolated life. Not that long ago, she had a shine in her eyes when they were chatting. She didn’t look like a person who would isolate herself. In an instant, Liam saw a different side of Zena. At that moment, he wanted to hug her and comfort her. He wanted to hold her and never let her go. It took him a bit before Liam realized he had spaced out.

  “I’m sorry about Yuri,” Liam apologized. “He’s not a very social person and doesn't like to filter himself.”

  Zena didn’t seem to be forgiving. “He should learn how to keep his damn opinions to himself and not talk to someone like he knows them. He doesn’t know me at all to talk to me the way he did.”

  Liam looked at Zena with gentle eyes, as he moved closer to her. “Aye, you are right. Yuri had no right to talk to you like that when he doesn't even know you.” He lifted Zena’s chin so she could look him in the eyes. “I’ll make sure he knows he shouldn’t have done what he did. But till then, can we maybe still hangout? Give Yuri another chance maybe later?”

  “Pff with someone like him,” Zena rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right, how can you be friends with someone like that?”

  “Yuri may be cold and seems like a know-it-all, but I’ve known him for a long time. Sometimes he means well. Yeah, I do admit sometimes I want to knock the shit out of him, and he pisses me off, but he's still my dear friend."

  Zena took a deep
breath, as she calmed herself down, relaxing her shoulders. She looked away from Liam to collect herself. She looked like she was feeling comfortable just by being in his presence.

  Liam smiled as Zena cooled down. He turned her face back to him. "I am captivated by you and I would like to get to know you more.”

  Zena shyly glimpsed at Liam. Liam was a unique man to make a woman with chocolate skin flustered. There was something about Liam that made her grow more drawn to him. She looked like she wanted to get to know him as well. She looked even happier that he wanted to see how things would go between them. Zena couldn’t help but have a big grin on her face from Liam’s words.

  Classical music caught their attention as people began to waltz around the room. It was soft and elegant, which gave a romantic tone. Liam wrapped his arms around Zena and pulled her closer to him. He spoke to her affectionately, “Mind if I have a dance?”

  Zena slowly nodded her head, yes. In no time at all, they began to dance around the room. Liam was excellent on his feet when it came to the waltz. He was able to lead Zena without her stepping on his feet. Sparks flew, the two gazing at each other, as they glided around the room. It felt like they were meant to be together. Everything about the two felt so right.

  ******

  Yuri watched Liam and Zena dancing, sighing, as he drank his cocktail. He wondered what came over him to give a crap about what someone does with their life. He couldn’t care less about the adverse decisions someone made, but somehow Zena got under his skin. He acted out of his character. As he watched Liam once again work his charm on Zena, he wanted to walk up to Liam and punch him in the face. Liam wasn’t easy to live with, as well. There were many times Yuri got so annoyed with Liam that he wanted to rip his neck off. Sometimes he asked himself why the hell did he let Liam stay with him pretty much rent-free or put up with his occasional immature nature. Sometimes he couldn’t help but be jealous of Liam. Liam is always open to chat with anyone and fill them with fun. He could connect with anyone with ease. He was kind of like a friendly puppy, just full of life and energy. He could melt almost anyone’s heart when he looked at them a certain way with his puppy dog eyes. Sometimes he got away with things because of his witty charms, though it was what had gotten him into trouble, to begin with. That is what makes Liam adorable. If Yuri wanted to have a remote shot at a second chance, he was going to have to get Zena alone and show her that he didn’t mean to make her angry. He just had to wait for the right moment. He didn’t want this one to get away. The Russian male had to have her and would have to try, rather than get what he wanted handed to him on a platter.