by Emma Vikes
When the deal was sealed, I’d gone downstairs to tell mother who’d responded by asking me whether I’d made a plan to send via cargo my excess luggage as I obviously couldn’t fly from Chicago with all my bags.
In the end, I’d flown with just one bag with the rest of my luggage already on its way. Till it arrived by cargo, however, I was going to have to make do with the one big luggage currently sitting in the trunk of this cab.
Time flew by as the cab bore down on its destination. After almost two hours, the cab arrived in front of my accommodation.
“This is it ma’am,” the cab driver announced, causing me to look around.
“Where?” I asked, looking around and not seeing anything that looked remotely like what I’d expected my lodging to look like.
On a second appraisal, I was certain the cab driver had taken me to a wrong address as it seemed we’d driven into a highbrow neighborhood.
“That’s where you are going ma’am,” The cab driver iterated, pointing to a white Victorian-style mansion.
I was about to protest again when I saw the number and address of the mansion I was looking at on the gatepost.
“Wow!” I exclaimed in shock, not believing my luck and the kind of deal I’d stumbled upon.
‘This house is really beautiful.’
The cab driver stepped out of the cab to get my luggage out of the trunk. I followed him out of the cab in a daze and stepped onto the sidewalk, my eyes remaining transfixed on the house in front of me.
The cab driver returned with my luggage and placed it beside me on the sidewalk. He told me the cost of my fare and I pulled my purse out of my bag, counted the exact fare and handed it over to the driver while mumbling my appreciation.
“Anytime ma’am,” the driver said as he turned and walked back to his vehicle. Seconds later, he had driven off, leaving me standing on the sidewalk admiring the house.
After what seemed like an eternity, I gathered myself and approached the wrought iron gate of the house. I expected to see a bell that I could ring but there was none. On closer inspection, I found the gate was unlocked, so I pushed it open and walked in.
Slowly, I approached the front steps of the house and walked up them till I was standing in front of the door. Here, I found a doorbell on the doorpost. I let go of my suitcase and pressed it.
The sound of the ringing doorbell echoed through the house without a response.
‘I hope I haven’t come at a wrong time,’ I thought, hoping that someone was at home to answer the door.
‘But he’s an old man. Where could he possibly have gone to?’
After waiting a brief moment, I rang the doorbell once more.
‘He’s an old man. It would definitely take him some time to get to the door,’ I concluded.
With that thought, I turned away from the house to face the route I had just come, admiring the grounds of the house. Moments passed and then I heard some shuffling from within the house, like someone coming to the door. I turned just as the door opened.
My breath caught in my chest as I was graced with the most handsome man I’d ever laid my eyes on. His face and build seemed liked it had been sculpted by an artist. His eyes were a beautiful hazel shade and his teeth were a perfect white. He was holding a box of tissue in one hand, a mug of tea in the other, and dressed in bathrobes, with his nose having a shade of pink.
My breath released slowly, but I was still slightly disoriented and dazzled by how good looking the man was.
‘Who is this?’
‘Is he a relative of old man Jones or is he old man Jones’ caretaker?’
Finally I found my voice and made to speak.
“Hi! I’m Susan,” I said, hearing how my voice stuttered slightly. “I’m the new tenant. Is Mr. Jones around?” I continued, my voice steadying a bit.
“I’m Mr. Jones,” the strange man replied, shocking me even more.
Finally I understood. The box of tissues, the pink nose, the bathrobe - my landlord wasn’t an old man as I had erroneously concluded. My landlord was this handsome and dashing young man after all, who apparently was down with a flu.
My heart skipped a bit.
Chapter 3
Susan
I pulled my suitcase behind me and walked into the apartment on the invitation of Mr. Jones. He’d stepped aside to allow me entry into his home and was currently securing the locks on the door. I was still dumbfounded at my discovery of who my landlord was.
My mind journeyed back to the first time I’d heard his voice; so weak and frail. No wonder he’d been in a hurry to get off the phone. That must have been at the onset of the flu when it had hit him the hardest.
From the look of things, he was still sick; but still he looked dashing. Time had seemed to stand still when he’d first opened the door and stunned me into silence with how handsome he was. After a brief introduction, I’d remained silent, not knowing what to say, till he’d invited me in.
He finished locking the door and turned to face me. The color of his eyes and the intensity of his stare made me swallow involuntarily. His eyes darted to my neck briefly as he noticed the swallowing action, and back to my eyes in the space of milliseconds; my knees began to grow weak under his scrutiny.
‘Those eyes. They don’t miss a thing, do they?’
‘And his lips…’ They were the color of peaches and supple in appearance.
‘What would it be like to kiss them?’
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Mr. Jones’ face contort in the manner of someone who was about to say something. My eyes immediately returned to his as I perceived he had grown weary of the uncomfortable and awkward silence that had settled between us. I waited for his words and suddenly, his face relaxed. Almost as if he’d changed his mind on saying what it was he’d wanted to say.
A subtle feeling of disappointment coursed through me as I was anticipating watching his lips part as words flowed out of his mouth. Then he slowly brought his mug to his lips and sipped from it, causing my lips to part slightly in unison with his. I saw his brows arch slightly in response to my lip movement, causing me to regain my composure. I was acting like a naïve school kid standing in front of a crush and I needed to get a handle on things.
I licked my lips that had suddenly gone dry and cleared my throat in order to restore some of my lost control.
“Mr. Jones, you’ve got a beautiful house,” I said, turning to look around.
“Thank you.” His response was brief.
“And where would I be staying?”
“Oh, your room is the one down this hallway, on the left. I left the key in the keyhole. Sorry I’m a mess at the moment and can’t welcome you properly nor take you on a tour of the house.”
“It’s okay Mr. Jones. I’m sure I’ll be able to handle myself from here. By the way, have you taken any meds? Because your flu seems to have lasted longer than normal.”
“I hate meds.”
I chuckled at his response. He couldn’t have sounded any cuter with his response admitting his disgust for pills and medications.
“Well how are you planning on getting better, Mr. Jones?”
“Plenty of rest, I guess. And please call me Howard.”
“Ok Howard. I think you should get back to resting. I’d find my room and settle in. It would be cruel for me to keep you on your feet,” I responded, my voice laden with genuine concern.
Howard smiled and excused himself with another apology, turning and heading for the stairs.
I accepted his excuse and stood there watching him climb the stairs till he got to the top, turned a corner and disappeared from sight, not pausing to look back once.
I heaved a sigh, grabbed my suitcase and then proceeded to find my room, following Howard’s description.
Chapter 4
Howard
Irritated by the ringing bell, I dragged myself to the door and undid the locks. Pulling it open, I was stunned to find the most beautiful lady I’d ever laid eyes
on: her face, her body, her skin, and the way her hair bounced around her shoulder as she swung to meet my gaze.
I couldn’t describe the beauty of her face, only that I was rooted to the spot in amazement. Her body was voluptuous and curvy in all the right areas. She was busty, possessing firm, big and round breasts. Her hips were so curvy, they gave her an hourglass figure. Her golden brown hair had me mesmerized with its texture, color and girth. It flowed all the way down to her back and didn’t scatter loosely with the wind.
Then she opened her mouth and spoke.
It was the most angelic voice I’d heard, its quality leaving me speechless. She had called me Mr. instead of professor and I didn’t mind. On second thought, she didn’t even know I was the one she was inquiring about. I’d just wanted her to keep talking, before remembering I hadn’t answered her question.
Then my mind had started reeling.
‘She’s the new tenant?’ I thought as I invited her in, stepping aside so she could pull her suitcase through the door.
‘But she sounded so mature on the phone, almost like a colleague or a working class lady.’
Seeing her now in her jeans and pink T-shirt, which was engraved with some juvenile inscription, I immediately knew she was a student.
‘Most likely a freshman,’ I concluded, seeing as she had called me Mr. Jones. Going by that and by her obvious stunned reaction at meeting me in person, she didn’t know who I was; a near impossibility for someone who’d been a student of the university for over a year. Therein lay another problem.
‘I can’t accommodate a student in my house. Not just a student, but a female student. My career will go down the drain if the dean and any other colleagues get a wind of it.’
Yet when I faced her again and tried to open my mouth, I found myself staying silent. In resignation, I brought my mug to my lips and took a sip, resolving to inform her of my decision later.
‘At least let her rest from her journey.’
‘Give her time to sort out new accommodation for herself. Even if news got out of this, I can explain it away as a mere oversight. Two to three days should be enough.’
I resolved to tell her tomorrow morning as I described how to locate her room and excused myself to get back into bed.
I couldn’t very well let her get stranded. With that, I convinced myself that was my reason for letting her stay while I walked up the stairs. However, when I got to the top of the stairs, my lie was glaringly obvious to me.
I’d been dazed by her beauty and curviness which was what had rendered me silent. It had taken all of my remaining self-control to keep from turning back at the top of the stairs and looking at her. A sense of foreboding swept through me as I realized this girl could get me in deep trouble if I didn’t control my lust.
Some hours later and I was still awake thinking about her. Night had come and still she had stayed in my mind. I was about to get up from bed and go knock on her room door when I heard the stairs creak. Someone…she was coming up the stairs.
I shut my eyes immediately and pretended to be asleep.
Chapter 5
Susan
Night fell quickly and I was in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering about the beautiful stranger that had welcomed me in. I had gotten into bed after my initial attempt to clean and arrange the room had failed. The room was spotless, however, so there wasn’t much I needed to do other than arrange my personal effects in the wardrobe and put my suitcase away.
I’d gotten into bed after that in a bid to take a nap, however, I found it difficult to get my mind off of Howard. My eyes drifted to the bedside clock I’d placed there and the digital display blinked 8:45 pm. It had been over six hours since I’d arrived; six hours since I’d first set my eyes on Howard and six hours since I’d last seen him. Suddenly I found myself getting out of bed and going to look for him.
‘What are you doing Susan?’
‘Where are you going?’
The barrage of questions hit me as soon as I’d got out of bed.
“Oh come on. I’m just going to check on him. He’s sick after all. It’s nothing wrong with checking how he’s feeling.” I whispered in response to my thoughts. “It’s just a checkup. Nothing more. Nothing less.” I concluded as I put on my slippers and slipped into a robe.
Yet as I made my way towards the bedroom door, I recognized the lie, causing me to chuckle slightly.
I opened my bedroom door and was immediately struck by the darkness in the hallway. I’d lain in bed with the light on and as such was disoriented by the darkness beyond my bedroom door.
I paused at the door, giving my eyes some time to adjust before stepping into the hallway, closing the door and shutting out the light spilling from the bedroom.
“What the hell are you doing, Susan?” I chuckled to myself as my heart began to race.
My pupils had dilated enough to allow me see all the way to the end of the hallway. I looked at the bedroom door once more, contemplating for a moment opening it and walking back in.
‘I’m just going to check on him and make sure he’s okay. Nothing more, nothing less.’
With that last thought, I released the door knob and turned back to face the hallway. I trudged down its length till I cleared it and was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
‘How do I even find his room?’ I thought to myself.
When he had cleared the stairs in the afternoon, he’d turned left and disappeared from sight; left at the top of the stairs was the direction of his room, I guessed.
‘But in this big house, there is bound to be a number of rooms up there. How do I know which one is his?’
I turned and looked longingly down the hallway I’d just walked through, confused as to whether to retreat or proceed. After a brief moment, I sighed and began heading up the stairs.
My first step caused a loud creak to reverberate round the house, freezing me in place.
‘The stairs creak?’
‘Where did that come from? That hadn’t happened in the afternoon.’
I was sure even the neighbors had heard the creak of the stairs from down the street. After what seemed like an eternity, I took another deep breath and continued my ascent up the stairs.
The creaking sounds reduced in intensity as I climbed.
‘Relax Susan. He’s asleep. There’s no way he can hear this,’ I thought.
‘Even if he is and he comes out to investigate, I’d simply tell him I was bored of being in my room all day and came out to explore the house.’
I made it to the top of the stairs and paused to hold my breath, listening for any sounds.
Nothing.
There were only two ways to go at this point. To the right or to the left.
Howard had turned left in the afternoon, and so would I. I walked to the left and immediately noticed an arch leading to a hallway, similar to the one downstairs. I walked through the arch and, in the faint light, immediately noticed this hallway had three others branching off from it.
I paused and closed my eyes in the dark.
‘How do I find his room?’
When I opened my eyes, my pupils had readjusted to whatever available light was coming through to the hallway. I immediately noticed something I hadn’t seen before. One of the rooms in the first tributary had light streaming from beneath the door. All the other rooms where dark.
‘That must be it.’
I made my way stealthily towards the door, trying not to make any more noise than necessary.
I arrived at the door and slowly placed my ears on the cold wood to listen.
Nothing.
This had to be his room. Even though I could hear nothing, there was no other reason why the light would be on in this room when the rest were dark, no other reason than that I’d arrived at his room.
I gave a little rasp on the door and waited.
When there was no response, I placed my hand on the door knob, turned it slowly and gave the door a little nudge. The door sw
ung open effortlessly, flooding the hallway with light from the room and stunning me for a brief moment.
After my nerves had settled, I looked in and saw Howard wrapped up in his bed. My body tingled as I made the final decision to cross the threshold and step into his room.
“Howard? It’s Susan,” I said lightly with the intention of announcing my presence.
Howard remained silent. Apart from a steady rise and fall of his chest, he remained motionless.
‘He is asleep’.
I closed the door behind me and walked lightly on my feet to his bedside. The blanket was pulled up to his chest, covering the rest of his body. His chest up, however, was exposed.
‘He’s probably naked under the covers.’ I suppressed the thought as quickly as it had risen.
I stood there for a while, watching him breathe softly. His features mesmerized me even more than they had in the afternoon. My eyes traced every inch of his exposed body; from his hair, to his forehead, to his closed eyes and eyelashes, to his nose, to his lips and finally to his chest.
I was drawn to him and suddenly found myself sitting gently on the bed. I continued staring at him until my eyes fell on his lips once more. In the afternoon, I’d admired them. Now, however, I was even more drawn to them, wanting to bend down and kiss them.
‘What would it be like to kiss those lips?’ I wondered as the lips continued to hypnotize me.
Then in a moment of blind madness, where all my inhibitions and common sense had ceased to function, I bent forward and kissed him.