Dawn of Eve - MJ Howson (read full novel .txt) 📗

to me. Get whatever you want. It’s just the three of us tonight.”

Jacob groaned and shook his head. He wondered if Dawn was going to place the doll at the dinner table. He glanced over at the white marble dining room set and was relieved to see there wasn’t a baby seat already in place. He looked at Dawn and said, “I hope you aren’t feeding it.”

“Of course not.” Dawn rolled her eyes and laughed. She stopped dancing and kissed Eve’s cheek. “Her mouth doesn’t open.” Dawn cradled the doll in her arms, causing Eve’s eyes to snap open. “But I do love talking to her.”

“As long as she doesn’t talk back.”

Twenty

A Pop of Color

Dawn gradually awoke from a long deep sleep. She lazily opened one eye and glanced at the ceiling. The black spherical projection clock showed the time to be 7:14 a.m. Dawn closed her eye and rolled to her side, allowing her mind to replay last night’s anniversary dinner with Jacob. Given the extravagant night out on the town for Dawn’s fortieth, they kept it simple and dined at the steak restaurant in the Spire. Jacob treated, much to Dawn’s objection.

The bedsheets still smelled of his cologne’s woody scent. Dawn stretched her arms out beside her, feeling for Jacob. As her fingers crawled across the sheets, she opened both eyes to find the bed empty. Dawn sat up and looked around, confused. The bathroom door opened, and Jacob emerged, fully dressed.

“Good morning,” Jacob said.

“Morning.” Dawn yawned as Jacob sat on the bed and kissed her cheek. “Are you leaving?”

“Clients in Jersey all day today. Remember?”

“Oh. Right.”

Dawn rubbed her temples. They’d polished off two bottles of wine at dinner last night, leaving the latter part of the evening a bit of a blur.

“I’m running late.” Jacob stood up and walked to the full-length mirror, and inspected the scar on his face. “I tried to wake you earlier, but you were totally out.” He went to the bed and sat beside Dawn. “You know who won’t let me leave.”

“What?” Dawn furrowed her brow as she stared at Jacob. He smiled a crooked grin and pointed at the ceiling. “Oh. Sorry. Evelyn, unlock the front door.”

“Front door is unlocked,” the voice assistant said.

“I went down earlier, but that digital deadbolt wouldn’t budge. Seems like a security hazard. What if you were in here unconscious?”

“The front desk can override it.” Dawn leaned forward and kissed Jacob’s scruffy cheek. She smiled as she recalled how wonderful the past two nights with him had been. “Thanks again for last night.”

“Happy anniversary.”

Jacob stood up and took Dawn by her hand. She flung her sheets aside and grabbed a knee-length black silk robe from the end of the bed. They left the bedroom, walked to the private elevator, and descended to the first floor. When they got to the front door, they stopped.

“My plan was to pay for dinner last night,” Dawn said. “I still owe you a gift.”

“Surprise me.”

Jacob leaned down and kissed Dawn. She relished the feel of his moist lips surrounded by rough stubble. Dawn ran her fingers through his gelled hair and rested her head against his chest.

“I can think of one thing,” Dawn said. “Something I should have done long ago.” Dawn looked up into Jacob’s eyes and said, “Evelyn, please grant Jacob Jilani guest access to my apartment.”

“What?” Jacob asked.

“Jacob Jilani now has guest access,” Evelyn said.

“Wow,” Jacob said. “What, exactly, does that get me?”

“It’s like a key to my place. You can come and go as you please. Evelyn will automatically unlock the door when you arrive and lock it when you leave. You can also do stuff like control the music and fireplace.”

“Thanks, Dawn.” Jacob smiled and kissed her fingers. He turned and opened the door. Once in the foyer he looked back and said, “I’ll call you later.”

Dawn waved goodbye and closed the door. The short robe wrapped around her was far too thin to keep her warm. Dawn glanced at the private elevator and then the spiral staircase. She quickly raced upstairs to the second floor and opened the door to the nursery.

The walls and furniture sparkled with blue and red twinkling stars. Dawn crept to the crib in the middle of the room to find Eve inside wrapped in a cotton blanket. The doll’s eyes were closed.

“Good morning, Eve,” Dawn said, gently brushing Eve’s curly copper hair. She reached down and picked the doll up, cradling it in her arms. Dawn kissed Eve’s forehead and left the nursery, taking the stairs to the top floor. As Dawn entered her bedroom, she said, “Evelyn, I’m ready to start my day.”

“Starting your day,” the smart home system replied.

The motorized floor-to-ceiling drapes opened, and soft jazz music began playing from the overhead speakers. Dawn placed Eve on the bed, propping the doll up against a pillow. She tapped Eve’s head to try to get the eyes to open, but they remained shut. Dawn gave up and walked to the closet.

“I’m sorry you had to sleep in the nursery last night,” Dawn said. “But Jacob doesn’t want you in the bed with us. I guess it’s safer that way, right?”

Dawn opened the twin doors of her wardrobe closet, causing the overhead lights to slowly illuminate. At 300 square feet, the wardrobe closet was larger than the average bedroom. Dawn began rifling through her collection of black, white, and cream robes.

“I gave him guest access to the place,” Dawn said. She stuck her head back out into the main room. “So, he might be staying here more often.” Dawn frowned when she noticed Eve’s eyes were still shut. “I hope you aren’t mad, Eve. I mean, we want Jacob to move in eventually, don’t we? It can’t just be the two of us forever.” Dawn turned her attention back to the racks of clothes. “That wouldn’t be a real family, would it?”

Eve’s eyes snapped open.

After reviewing her options, Dawn grabbed a long heavy white