by Flora Dain
There’s a crash as Eldon pushes back his chair and walks quickly out of the room. Everyone looks dazed.
Dismayed, I get to my feet.
‘Leave him.’
At Darnley’s low growl I touch his shoulder and glance apologetically at Lydia. ‘It’s OK. I’ll talk to him. I forgot he’s so touchy.’
Eldon is pacing the entrance area. I stroll across and bar his way. ‘You know, you could use some anger management,’ I say lightly. ‘Seriously, I’m no fortune hunter. I can’t explain right now but it’s not what you think. And I’d never try to come between you and your brother –’ I break off as he grabs my arms and scans my face, his eyes burning.
‘You stupid little bitch, you think I give a fuck about him? It’s you I’m worried about. Stay away from him. You’ve no idea what he’s like. He’s lethal. You may think the money’s worth it, but –’ He breaks off as footsteps ring out behind us.
‘What’s going on?’ Darnley strides up, his face like stone.
Eldon lets me go and rounds on him, his eyes blazing. ‘I’m telling her to keep away from you, you fucking pervert. Why don’t you leave her alone?’ Abruptly he walks away.
Darnley watches him go with a flicker of pain that makes me catch my breath. It fades so fast I might have dreamed it.
When he speaks his tone is cold. ‘Lydia’s just heard from cousin Freda. She’ll be here in a couple of days. She’s bringing her new date.’ He eyes me steadily. ‘So it looks like Mitchell’s coming too. We’ll be one big happy family.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Back in the dining room conversation has moved on. Once more I get an impression of hostile looks but everyone quickly ignores us. Lydia looks relieved. ‘Welcome back, Ella. And don’t take Eldon to heart. He’s temperamental.’ She smiles proudly. ‘Artistic, you see.’
Aaron sighs and throws a question about golf down the table. It’s taken up quickly, a conversation lifesaver. Soon Eldon’s outburst is forgotten.
Now my attention is claimed by something far more pressing – literally. The butt plug is starting to work its lewd magic. I’m becoming seriously aroused.
As we leave the table and join in the general conversation I’m keenly aware that Darnley stays close to me. He touches me more than he should. His hand absently lingers on the soft skin below my upper arm, hovers at my waist and once even circles my wrist, still sore from last night but now a new and startling erogenous zone. When he’s not with me he’s watching me from across the room, his gaze steady and disturbing, making me pulse.
I start to watch him back, and find it hard to listen to what people are saying. Someone asks me three times if I teach younger children before I even realise they’re talking to me.
What is he going to do when he takes the thing out? When is he going to do it?
Every movement now becomes an agony of arousal under his steady gaze. I’m in torment when he moves up close, touching and yet not touching, so near and yet so far.
At long last he leans down to whisper in my ear. ‘Shall we go now?’
One glance at my parted lips and my pleading expression tells him all he needs to know. The gleam in his eyes is a promise of things to come. Skilfully he makes a few light-hearted farewells and in minutes we’ve left the fawning waiters and carping relatives behind us and we’re alone in his rooms, with the dark forest and the sparkling night sky for décor and only our reflections for company.
He shrugs off his jacket, pours a couple of drinks and flops down on the couch. After few minutes in the en-suite I join him.
‘Strip.’
His command is all I need. I start to sway, removing my clothes slowly, peeling them away in short bursts, smiling at him over my shoulder.
He watches, drinking quietly until I get as far as my stockings and heels. All at once he gets to his feet in a lithe movement and finishes his drink at a gulp.
‘Let’s see how you’re doing. Bend over.’ I brace myself with my hands on my thighs as he eases the thing out a little way and then removes it completely. I feel his hands working inside me a little way, and hear him chuckle. ‘Some way to go yet, I think. You managed that well. Now the shower.’
I’m so fired up now I’ll do anything. Sure enough he turns the discreet granite-lined shower area into a sex-spa, making me pose for him under and over the jet. After a while I snatch the spray and do the same to him, and when he finally gets it back he punishes me with a quick blast of cold water before turning off the jet and pulling me into his arms.
He kisses me for so long I wonder if we’ll catch cold but when he finally pulls away he swathes me in a vast white towel and scoops me up in his arms. He dumps me in a bundled heap on the bed and instantly takes command and peels away the towel.
‘Now I want to see you squirm.’ My eyes widen, but he flops down beside me with a low laugh and pulls me up on top of him. ‘How are the wrists?’ His look is troubled. I sense he plans more action.
I rub them carefully. ‘OK,’ I say slowly. ‘Why?’
He takes my hands in his and inspects my wrists carefully, kissing the fading marks and probing softly to check for swelling. ‘We’ll try something softer tonight and maybe you’ll be fitter tomorrow.’
Fitter? For what? ‘What are you going to do?’
His eyes glimmer. ‘Nothing too scary. I’m going to bind your hands behind your back with a scarf.’ He twitches a wisp of fabric out of the bedside table drawer. It’s a thin piece of raw silk, soft as a whisper. He winds it tight and pulls my wrists together at the small of my back and then leans back with a gleam.
‘You look lovely. Especially these.’ He buries his face in my jutting breasts and starts to feast, licking and sucking on my stiff, swollen nipples, first one and then the other. I lean back on my haunches as he devours them, making them ache as he rolls them in his fingers, pinching and pushing them cruelly with tiny nips of his teeth and darts of his tongue until my aureoles grow rosy and my nipples crinkle to numbness from the relentless stimulation.
As I’m already throbbing and tormented to tipping point by the teasing shower head I almost convulse, but as I start to moan and fight to close my thighs to speed up my relief he guesses I’m close and slips a hand over my sex, cupping me firmly and forcing my swollen edges so wide that climax is impossible. My aching build-up is held in suspension somewhere in the fork of his first two fingers.
‘Please,’ I whimper. ‘I’m so close …’ I feel a trickle of sweat on my back as my hunger flares to white heat.
‘Whoa. Not so fast. Me first.’
I bend low to take his huge erection in my mouth, my soft laugh muffled by his bulging shaft as I lap eagerly and lunge forward, taking him deep. He groans as I ease back and start to lick him with long eager slicks of my tongue, probing and teasing at the tight little curls around his root and leaning up over him in a high, curving arch so the angle will help me take him deep. It works pretty well and with a few pauses to relax the gagging I manage to take him deeper than ever, barely brushing the back of my throat as it drives down my gullet. I feel a deep thrill of triumph that I can take him so easily but he warns me off with a grunt.
‘Easy. Take your time.’ He kneels up. I sway a little, finding it hard to balance with my arms so tightly bound, and he jerks me back into place, impatient now, his stern glance sending tremors through me again. Now he captures my breasts and sets up a punishing rhythm on my tender nipples, matching my own as I work my way down his shaft and get him once more deep in my throat.
I slow a little, needing to get my breath between my surges, and finally make it right to his root and speed up. But my eager mouth has been too much for him.
All at once his loins take over and he seizes my head with both hands until at last he stills and I feel a glorious slick gush over my tongue, his fluid tingling in my mouth like creamy champagne.
He holds me close for a long moment and then eases me gently away and bends down to taste himself on my lips, his fierce,
eager tongue sending tremors through me as I sway in his embrace.
‘Lie flat and spread your legs.’ He kneels up over me, facing away, and I see his taut thighs splay wide over my head as his erection, softer now but still plump, sways over my face. ‘Take it in your mouth. Keep it moist.’
Obedient as a puppy, I reach up and lap eagerly at his bulging shaft as he leans down and licks gently along my sex, his tongue travelling along first one side and then the other with delicate, precise movements of the very tip of his tongue. And as I lie back bathed in his warm, earthy aroma he feasts at last on my hot, pulsing centre. In seconds the climax I’ve longed for all evening erupts.
I arch below him but with a low growl he keeps his tongue in place, refusing to release me, its tip working, probing, circling without mercy until I shriek and come again. And now, at last, he eases off me and curls round to take me in his arms. And with a twitch of the quilt and a dab at the light switch we’re in darkness and soon drifting into sleep.
* * *
The following morning I wake alone. I’m used to this now so I dress quickly and follow the smells of breakfast and find a random group of relatives in dressing gowns or Bermuda shorts and Hawaiian shirts. People seem happy and relaxed, some nursing headaches, others playing with the children.
‘Ella, lovely to see you so early. Come and meet Dodie. She wants to talk schools.’ Lydia is playing the perfect hostess, happily pairing up distant relatives and hinting at the many outdoor activities on offer here. She turns away and hails a couple trailing in behind me. ‘Try the golf course. Aaron’s very proud of it. Or the tennis court? You could make up a foursome.’
I slip into the seat next to Dodie, a fresh-faced young wife with freckles and a toddler on her knee.
She leans over and keeps her voice low. ‘That’s Joel, my husband. He’s a junior in Aaron’s office. We’re a pretty distant branch of the family. Not close like you. You were real brave taking on Eldon like that. He’s a prickly customer.’
As she spoon-feeds the little girl sitting on her knee I learn she and Joel are honoured to be here and see it as a big boost to his career. When I ask her about her little girl her eyes mist over.
‘We’re so grateful to Darnley.’ She leans close, making sure no one else can hear. ‘Emily was born with a heart problem and no one could help. Aaron recommended his own physician but he was real expensive.’ She rolls her eyes. ‘Our insurance wasn’t enough and the bills –’ She breaks off, her lip trembling. ‘We had to remortgage. Then Darnley found out and paid off our loan and now he pays for all her healthcare.’ She looks bashful. ‘He said not to tell anybody but I guess you’re OK. I can see you two are real close.’
As Dodie chatters on I also learn that Darnley’s feud with his brother goes back a long way and Lydia’s over-friendly with her tennis coach. I decide to pump Dodie for more information but as I finish my cereal Eldon appears in the doorway and glares at me.
When Dodie gets up to take Emily for a walk round the lawn he jerks his head and I walk over.
‘Hi. It’s warm out on the lake. Like a trip? We could do a spot of fishing. There’s this great spot I found earlier.’
His offer is so unexpected I agree instantly, hoping to smooth things over. ‘OK. Cool.’
No one seems to notice as we make our way down to the lake. Last night’s spat is seemingly forgotten as he boasts about the catch he’s already made.
‘I was out earlier today. They’re pretty lively round sunrise.’
I’m no fisherman but I’ve heard plenty of tales at home and we happily compare notes about freshwater and seawater methods and tackle. His boat is roomy, with two sets of oars, but he fits only one pair into the central rowlocks and declines my offer to help.
‘You don’t weigh much. You sit and watch.’ As he sets off it occurs to me all at once that maybe I should tell someone.
‘Shall I call Lydia? She was organising everybody.’
He grins. ‘Mom just likes to look busy. She’s probably forgotten you’re here. Her coach comes today. You heard about the tennis lessons?’
I mention that Dodie had dropped a hint. ‘Who? Oh, the thin kid with freckles and the baby? Even she knows? Word soon gets round. Lydia never keeps anything to herself.’ He gives me a friendly grin.
This is a terrific opportunity to ask him about Darnley, but here I go carefully. When I mention his brother, Eldon’s face contracts alarmingly. ‘You don’t know the half of it. He’s a complete maniac. Ask anybody.’
‘Dodie seems to like him.’
‘Who? Oh, her again? She’s not close family. She knows nothing about it.’
And it’s only then I notice that we’re a long way out. He’s been rowing steadily for quite a while and shows no sign of slowing down. I feel a prickle of unease. ‘Are we there yet?’ My voice tails off as something else strikes me as odd.
There’s no fishing gear.
‘Oh, it’s quite a way yet. It’s one heck of a big lake. You’ll see when we get round the headland.’ He’s grinning at me, like he’s pleased about something.
I feel a twinge of dismay. I lean down to my purse to reach for my phone. ‘I’d better tell Darnley where I am.’
‘What? No need to do that. I’ll tell them when I get back. I mean, when we –’
I stare at him, seriously alarmed now. ‘When you get back? Eldon, turn this thing round. We’re going back now.’
I jab at the phone as I search for Darley’s private number. I’ve never used it before but now’s the time.
‘No.’ An oar clatters on the side of the boat as he lunges forward and knocks the phone out of my hand. It bounces on the seat, ricochets over the side and falls into the water with a plop.
I glare at him and edge away as he leans towards me, sweating now, his eyes wild.
‘You don’t get it, do you? He’s not safe. I’m trying to rescue you, you stupid little cow. We’re going across the lake and a friend of mine’s going to hide you in his hut till the hunt for you dies down and then you’re going to escape. You’ll be free of him for good. If I don’t you’ll never get away.’
I’m still edging away from him. He’s clearly crazy. He upsets the balance of the boat as he edges closer towards me. It starts to rock dangerously.
I lick my lips and glance over the water. Out here a light breeze ruffles the surface. The water’s clear but it’s deep, too deep to see the bottom. We’re passing a reed bed that juts out from the bank quite a way. It’s the closest thing for miles. The shore is just a line of trees in the distance.
I start taking deep breaths, filling my lungs with oxygen. He leans closer, his eyes alight.
‘Hey, don’t be scared. You’ll thank me for this one day, I promise.’ His smile is terrifying – long and cruel and topped with wild, staring eyes.
After about six breaths I start to feel dizzy from the rush of oxygen and ease off to breathe normally. As he finally gets close enough to reach towards me I lunge forward and seize the spare set of oars. I fling them overboard. Instantly they float away, propelled by the breeze.
‘My oars. You stupid –’ He leans over to try to reach them but I grab one of the pair he’s using, wrench it free and fling that overboard too. Now he’s got no idea which to go after as all three float away. While he’s staring at them trying to decide I slip over the side and dive deep under the water.
It’s a while since I’ve swum underwater. My system’s primed with oxygen from breathing deep but the cold hits me like a wall. I grit my teeth and paddle hard, trying not to break the surface too soon and give myself away. With any luck I should make the reed bed before he guesses which direction I’ve taken, and with only one oar it’ll take him a while to catch up.
I open my eyes under the water and peer through the greenish gloom. I’m used to the sea. I’ve spent happy hours pottering in the shallows along the coast, admiring anemones and limpets and hunting tiny crabs. My record was five whole minutes without breaking the surfa
ce. But that was on a warm day and I’d been swimming all summer. It must be years since I did this. I’m out of condition.
Now the fresh water stings my eyes but I hardly care as I make out the pale stripes of the reed bed looming closer.
Once in there I can hide and rest. They grow in shallows so with luck I can reach the shore …
I’ve certainly had an effect. From under the water I can hear muffled, booming shouts and the dull thump of his feet as he clambers about the boat, still looking for me. With any luck the breeze scattering the surface will hide my trail until I can breathe again …
I surface for air, my lungs bursting, grab a breath and bob back down, praying he’s not seen me. And now, at last, I’m in the reeds. I pass a few and then cling onto a couple and peer cautiously over the surface, blinking my eyes clear. Out in the middle of the lake the boat is drifting in the breeze and Eldon is still shouting, hurling himself from side to side like someone demented, calling my name. I cling to the slimy surface of the reeds while I gasp air and rest my aching lungs for a moment.
Now he’s on his phone. I can hear his voice clearly across the water but the wind’s blowing his words away from me. I can’t make out what he’s saying.
No matter, I can feel mud between my toes now. I’m close to land.
In the lee of my curtain of reeds and trying not to splash I pick my way towards the shore.
* * *
Now I have to get my bearings. I know which way we came but I’m in dense woodland and I’m soaked through. Luckily my sandals stayed on, the flimsy straps buckled at the ankles.
Keeping the lake on my left I head back round the shoreline but it’s hard going. I have to get over streams and ditches. My ankles twist painfully on tree roots and in animal holes. At long last the trees thin out a little and I glimpse the coloured pennants of a miniature golf course. Even now I’m not sure how far it is to the main house. There’s no sign of it. The golf course could be miles wide for all I know.
I decide not to wander off course. I’m too tired now to backtrack. I keep the water in sight and eventually I’m trudging across dense, sweeping lawn. I’m too weary now to notice much but I spot the roofs of Camp Akela through the trees, rusty red against the green …