Tempting

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Running one hand through her messy brown curls, Katherine sighed in frustration has yet another costumer ignored her greetings, going inside the store with a basket in hand, ready to shop. It amazed her how rude people could be, and how every single one of them seemed to think that this was her dream job: to stand all day in uncomfortable shoes trying to get others to enjoy the discounts Walmart had to offer.

The forced smile never left her lips, as she spotted a redhead walking inside the big shopping centre, searching for a basket to bring with her, seeming to now have a care in the World; these were the ones who usually paid attention to the brunette when she tried to offer them something.

“Good evening ma’am, we have discounts on all makeup products this week. Just on isle five, down there.” Katherine’s melodic voice was directed to the young man, as her arm shot to her back so she could point.

The other didn’t seem too upset by her greeting, but she could tell that the information had vanished from her brain as soon as it hit it.

“Thanks.” With a nod, off she was to her shopping, making Katherine bite the inside of her cheek to avoid screaming. All of these people were rude and seemed to always be in a rush, although they had nowhere to go.

Glancing up at the clock placed on the wall in front of her, the girl smiled; it was time to go home, finally, after a five-hour shift with a ten-minute break in between. The brunette greeted Joanne, her colleague, before sprinting to the backdoors to prevent her manager from asking her to stay a bit more and helps with inventory.

Usually, she would do it; it wasn’t like she had anything to do, and they would pay her a small extra amount of money for the help, which she appreciated. However, today was her birthday, and she intended to celebrate it.

Picking up her bag and jacket, Katherine Soulless found herself running out of the big store, waving goodbye to everyone as an amused laugh came out of her lips due to the looks everyone was giving her.

The brunette got inside her small Smart, that her parents had given her for her eighteenth birthday, painted in the dark purple just like she had always dreamed her car would be; her driving was always careful, and it hadn’t changed because of her birthday.

“There she comes.” Her mother let out a chuckle when she saw Katherine pulling up in their driveway, a huge smile of excitement plastered on her lips; usually, she wasn’t a fan of her birthday, but finally her parents had agreed that she could go away for a weekend with her friends to celebrate, and the girl couldn’t be more excited.

“Mom, dad, I’m home!” Shouting, the brunette placed her jacket on the rack and her bag near the front door; searching for them in the living room and finding no one, she began to feel suspicious.

A delicious smell of pumpkin pie and her favourite white chocolate chip cookies filled the entire house, causing her stomach to grumble and her mouth to water; her mother always did this for her birthday, ever since she could remember.

“Happy Birthday!” her mother cheered as soon as she stepped foot inside the kitchen, her father walking to her and giving her a nod and a small kiss on the cheek before returning to his chair, after mumbling a soft. ‘Happy Birthday kiddo’.

This would normally annoy anyone else, but not her. Adam Soulless wasn’t a very affectionate man; even when Katherine was nothing but a toddler running around the house corridors with her high ponytail and her favourite doll in hand, dreaming of one day living in Wonderland, he had been distant to his child.

“Thanks Dad.” Katherine nodded, walking to her mother and giving her a tight and long hug. Harriet Soulless was nothing like her husband; many times Katherine wondered what her mother had seen in such a cold man, and how on Earth had she won his heart, but never shared her thoughts with her parent. “You’re baking my favourites again.”

With a warm motherly smile, Harriet nodded.

“Of course I did, it’s a tradition.” The elder woman was a big fan of traditions; every single small things that the family repeated more than once, became a tradition. “Now, go and shower and pack your things, while I finish the pie and our dinner.”

Nodding, Katherine walked up the stairs two steps at a time. She had already taken care of the essentials for her small trip, now it was time to decide what dresses to take with her. She didn’t own anything too provocative – her parents being the prudes they were – but she still managed to look beautiful and sexy with what she could own.

As she got inside her room and started throwing some dresses into her suitcase, Katherine smiled. The trip to Los Angeles was going to be life changing, even if only just because she would have a weekend of freedom.

**

“Make sure you call us when you get to the Hotel, alright? Don’t forget, and please be careful, you know how those men think in that big city.” Harriet hadn’t stopped giving her daughter warnings and advices since she had come downstairs for dinner.

The brunette was making a large effort not to roll her eyes when she noticed that her mother wasn’t planning on keeping quiet any time soon. Adam, however, remained quiet. This trip wasn’t of his liking, and he had only said yes after much persuasion from his beloved wife; if it were for him, Katherine would be stuck inside her house until Adam’s best friend’s son, Michael, decided to grow a pair and ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

However, that wasn’t going to happen, and it was making his brain twist and turn to get used to the idea.

“Be safe.” Was all he said to his daughter, placing a small kiss on her forehead and patting her shoulder roughly, not only as a ‘take care’ gesture, but also as a warning that didn’t pass unnoticed by the girl.

“I’ll make sure to call.” The girl assured her mother with a nod, hugging her softly as tears streamed down the elder woman’s face. Turning to her Father, her body language showed that she was never comfortable around the man that had given her life. “I will. Don’t worry about me.” He wasn’t planning to.

After a few more whimpers from her Mother, deadly looks from her Father and all the goodbyes being said, Katherine hopped on Gabriella’s car, smiling at her best friend when she drove off the girl’s driveway.

“Ladies…” Rachel, one of the three girls joining Katherine on this adventure, spoke with a mischievous smile lingering on her lips. “This is going to be a wild ride.”