“Well, we can’t all be as perfect as the acclaimed businessman Edward Sawyer, else life would be boring.” My voice dripped with sarcasm but I was past caring.
My stepfather’s gaze narrowed on me, the pulse working in his jaw the only sign of his simmering temper. “I was suggesting,Abigail, that you take Daniel for a nightcap.”
The way he stressed my name was all the warning I needed, the last time he had said it in such a way he had delivered me the ass spanking of a lifetime. And it wasn’t like he had done it in private either. After catching me fucking one of the stable hands he had yanked my bare body right out from under the guy, bent me over right there and then, and spanked me until I cried. It was his way of making sure the dude never came near me again. And then rather than sack the guy, he made sure he stayed on as a constant reminder of my shame and as a warning message to anyone else who showed any sign of interest. The humiliation was enough to send heat to my cheeks once more and I took up my drink, keen to remain composed.
“No problem, Daddy.”
He twitched at my sickly sweet reference, but seemed happier that I was on side once more.
“I don’t expect that we will see you later, we have quite a bit of business still to discuss and the ladies have lots to catch up on,” he looked from Emma to Diana as he said the latter and I followed his gaze. The two women shared a look that made me uncomfortable but I couldn’t fathom why. I was over-sensitive for sure.
“Like I said, no problem.” I pushed myself up from the table and deposited my napkin. Part of me didn’t want to leave theroom. Or rather, didn’t want to leave Emma. The other part felt completely out of place in their company. “Come Daniel, I’ll show you just what Daddy’s cellar has to offer—”
“Ah, avoid the cellar, Abi,” my stepfather hurried out unexpectedly, “that stuff is reserved for special occasions.”
I looked at him, puzzled. He loved to show off his drinks collection. This evening seemed like the perfect opportunity.
He didn’t elaborate however and ultimately I couldn’t really care less what we drank. Drink was drink.
“I’ll take the decanter from the side then.”
Not waiting for a response, I grabbed the said booze along with two fresh glasses and made for the door. Daniel was beside me in a second, his eagerness for some “alone time” more than apparent.
Robert, Daniel’s father, eyed us both, his face breaking into a wide grin as he said, “Don’t forget we’re setting off early tomorrow, son; try and get some sleep, won’t you?”
Heat crept into my cheeks at his meaning. Some people had no decency. My eyes flicked to Emma who was watching me, her expression unreadable. Did she know how badly I wanted to be with her instead? Why was Dad so keen to palm her off with Diana? The two women had only just met. But if I was honest, it was the tone in which he had referred to them “catching up” that bothered me. There was a sexual undertone, of that I was certain...
“Thanks for that, Dad,” Daniel said, in mock gratitude and then he gestured to the doorway. “Shall we?”
Shifting my attention from Emma, I nodded and with more cheer than I felt, I bid them goodnight and headed for the door.
“I’m sorry about my father, he can be a bit brash at times,” Daniel said once we were out of earshot.
“No need to apologize, I know exactly how it feels to be shown up by one’s illustrious father, stepfather or otherwise.”
“Seems we do have something in common then?”
I glanced at him sharply, concerned that he had picked up on our lack of connection but his eyes danced with amusement and I couldn’t help but smile. His honesty was both welcome and refreshing.
“Let’s take this to the terrace and see what other similarities we can uncover,” I said, making the statement intentionally provocative. I was in the mood for some fun, anything to keep my mind from the worrying direction of my thoughts.
“Sounds good to me.”
I led us through the halls to the back of the house where the doors opened onto the terrace. Pushing them ajar, I gestured for Daniel to precede me.
“You’re quite the modern woman,” he said, picking up on my typically masculine gesture.
I shrugged and stepped out. The warm night air hit me full force, its freshness mixing with the alcohol in my blood and causing my footing to falter.
“Here.” Daniel was quick to take up my arm and remove the bottle and glassware from my hand.
“Thanks,” I said, dropping into a nearby sun lounger and kicking off my shoes. I could feel the stress leave my body as I sunk into the plushness of the bed and basked in the soft orange glow of the disappearing sun.
“Wow, that is something special.”
Daniel’s comment drew my attention. He was staring out at the far-reaching countryside, his gaze serene as he faced off the sunset. He looked younger, less hard. His features softened by the low light, his brown eyes taking on its honey glow and mirroring the color of his hair. He really was quite handsome and in the intimacy of our beautiful surroundings I could feel the stirrings of desire spark within me.
Plus, he was right. Before us, the countryside stretched as far as the eye could see, completely unspoiled by the trappings of the modern world. It formed a breathtaking backdrop to the kidney-shaped pool and sun terrace on which we sat. I couldn’t help the sigh that escaped me as I acknowledged this was one of the reasons I stuck around...
