“A new friend?” William asks, getting us on the road and fast.
I am still distracted by her running and disappearing into the storm.
“Something like that.”
I look in the mirror, remembering she is panty-less.
Taking a mental snapshot of her running tight denim-clad butt, I know it will be an image I’ll never forget.
Just like her eyes and her face when she came.
We drive on, and William turns to me. “Friends are good, Master Harry.”
I feel William’s wise old eyes on me, and it’s time again to lay it down. “I’ll always be a recluse, William. I like it that way.”
Inhaling, I look at the mayhem the storm is creating. Branches are broken, leaves are flying, and the odd tree is down.
The universe is chaos and it’s important to control it. Or be controlled.
5
SAMANTHA
I should have had another shower in my cheap motel to clear him from my mind. He, or his energy, is still clouding my headspace.
He did something to my mind, and I need him gone. It’s not just his eyes that I can remember. It’s his sinful lips, his magnificent jaw, his aristocratic look, and his perfect body.
And the bastard commanding me to come for him, but only when he said so.
Who does that?
It’s wrong in every way. Even if it was, weirdly, so fucking hot.
As I drive through the storm, I think about the supposed chateau. Also, the old recluse I’m about to cook for.
After driving down various rural roads on the outside of a stunning town, I push on. I pass spectacular homes, and soon they fade away.
Finally, I pass mansions behind large walls and gates. Some even have names.
Names like Northwood, Pine this, Manor that, Forest other, and Evergreen Estate.
As endless leaves swirl and branches snap off and tumble past, I mumble, peering out.
The tail of the storm runs on, and it keeps me on edge.
I have come this far in my sedan. I do not want it to lose the plot, here and now. Spinning off the old winding road would end in tears.
Or worse.
After several wrong turns, I finally enter gates and find the first bridge. “Three,” I mumble to myself, remembering the email noting three bridges.
I drive down the now private road with large trees lining both sides.
Strange things slide by, including a stunning horse sheltering under trees, old marble statues surrounded by leaves, and even an old, small cemetery.
A lake becomes visible on one side, and a massive forest expands on another. A deer streaks by, and then suddenly, a large bird sweeps low over me.
As I look at my old, cheap watch, I realize I’m late. Too bad.
