Page 92 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“I do not need this therapy. I’m fine.”

“I know you’re strong, but I worry about what’s in here.” I tap the side of his head lightly. “There’s a reason you ran away from the mafia, right? You didn’t like what you were doing, what they tried to turn you into? That affects a person, Sasha, whether you realize it or not.”

He studies me intently. “This therapy is rubbing off on you, yes? You are psychiatrist now?” he teases.

“Nah, I just want you to be happy, that’s all. I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

He places his finger on my lip and gently tugs it free of my teeth. “I am happy. But if it makes you happy, I will attend therapy with you. Do you think I can be redeemed? I have done… so many bad things. Many of them I greatly enjoyed.”

“I think anyone can be redeemed, if they want to be.”

I step closer to him and rest my head against his shoulder. I feel his arms tighten around me, and I want to stay like this forever, wrapped in the security of his embrace. He makes me feel safe in a way I haven’t felt for a while now. We stay like that for a while, moving with the music, muffled as it is. When an upbeat song starts, I pull away from Sasha.

“You will not start twerking, will you?” he asks, and I laugh.

“No chance. I’ll leave that to Alex. Do you want to come upstairs with me?”

“I would love to. Lead the way.”

I lead the way upstairs to my room in the north wing, suddenly feeling a bit anxious. I rub my hands on my jeans as I walk up to my door, holding it open for him as he steps inside. I follow, biting my lip ring again.

“You will bite that off,” he admonishes, walking towards me and freeing the ring from my teeth. “Are you nervous?”

“A little, yeah. Normally I’d be pulling out a blunt by now.”

“What do you want to do tonight?” he asks, expression open. I know that he has no expectations for how the night will go. If I don’t want to do something he won’t push me, I have absolute trust in that fact.

“Kissing?”

He nods. “I like kissing.” He cups my face in his hands and leans in, gently pressing his lips to mine, tongue seeking entrance into my mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he lifts me up by the back of my knees and carries me over to the bed before tossing me on it. He follows me down and settles on top of me, pulling my legs up to wrap around his hips as he grinds against me. I wrap my arms around his neck, wanting him as close as I can get him, and get lost in his embrace.

Eventually, his hand trails down to the waistband of my jeans, and I grab it without thinking, stopping his movement. “Sorry, um… sorry,” I say. He tries to meet my eyes but I avert my gaze, not wanting him to read the thoughts that are probably plastered all over my face.

“Too much?”

“Yeah, I think so. Yeah.” I stare up at the ceiling and feel tears forming in my eyes. I try my best not to let them fall. I don’t want to ruin this moment.

“I am the one sorry. You said kissing, and I pushed your boundaries. It will not happen again, okay? I will not take anything you don’t freely give me. Ever. You are safe with me.”

I look at him then, seeing only sincerity in his eyes. He runs a finger down my cheek, soothing me, and I nod.

“I know. I trust you, I do. I didn’t mean to freak out on you.” I wrap a hand around the back of his head and say, “Get back here and show me again what that mouth can do.”

I lose track of time as we make out, feeling secure again under him as he kisses every thought and worry out of my head.

***

Alex

“This is gonna take us to the next level,” I tell Brandon. The Halloween party was a complete success. Brandon posted pictures to our business Instagram page, and we’ve gotten thousands of likes. I’m giddy with excitement at the idea of getting more attention on this place.

I scroll through the comments, most of which are overwhelmingly positive. There have been a few that were critical, clearly jealous of our success. I make a mental note to figure out where they live and have Sasha pay them a visit. Our hotel is not “satanic propaganda” or “woke liberal nonsense.” I don’t even know what that means! Whatever.

Just then Sasha and Seth come down the stairs, clothes looking pleasantly rumpled. I smirk at them, and Sasha gives me a death glare in return. “Fun night?” I ask. Seth blushes. What a cutie.

“Everything good?” Brandon asks Seth, who nods in reply.

“Perfect, yeah,” he says.