Patrick stared at the beast before him, forever frozen in time in the moment it left its mortal coil. He should be socializing with others like his father instructed him to, but he took a brief break in the smoking room, surprised it was open to the public. The elk's glass eyes glazed over, mouth open to simulate an agonized cry. In a way, it was a work of art.
A hardbody woman, black, holding an empty snifter in one approached the animal, a look of pride reflected in her eyes. Patrick noted the Vivienne Westwood cotton jersey dress and black stockings paired with Westwood pumps to match. Modern, artistic.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Her voice was low, hypnotized by the visage of death before her.
"Bit intense, but I'm sure that's the point." He wondered who the girl was but needed the right opening to ask.
"It was." She tucked her curly hair behind her ear, and a smile spread across her lips. "I chased it for hours..."
He raised a brow, usually not listening but made an exception since she now piqued his interest.
"It was strong, tried to fight the inevitable. So I sped up the process -" A manicured finger pointed to a slit across the Elk's throat, and Patrick could imagine this woman delighting in digging into the creature's entrails and letting it stain her skin. The image brought a rare tingle of excitement to his chest, making his heart pound. Instead of showing his excitement, he turned to her again and returned her smile to match her excitement.
"Patrick Bateman." He introduced himself.
"Belladonna Lewa." Patrick almost dropped his drink at the mention of her surname, her father (and the host of this party) had the influence to tank all of New York in a night and still have money to wipe his ass with, and he's here talking about dead animals with his daughter. Patrick hoped his palms would dry just enough before he shook her hand. "Are you in college too?"
"Harvard, third year." He could imagine cutting away her dress like issue paper.
"Yale, second year." Her eyes were staring directly into his.
If he were lucky, he'd have her. He already felt a connection sparking.
