Pendelton Manor

by B J Wane

  Adrian shrugged. “They asked for a reference, I gave them one.”

  “There you are. Your girl is still in the pool, presumably waiting for you.” Ash walked over to a small side table and poured himself a shot of whiskey.

  “You didn’t wear her out, did you? It’d be nice if you saved some for me,” James retorted even though they all knew better.

  “Shit,” Ash snorted as he poured himself another drink and took a slow sip this time. “Those girls have more stamina than the four of us put together. That’s why it’s always been good there were more of us than them. When are you going to make an honest woman of Rachel? She deserves better than to be strung along indefinitely.”

  “Match making now, are you?” James asked dryly. “If you must know, I was thinking of doing just that shortly. Just keep it to yourselves, will you? I want it to be a surprise.”

  “Hey, that’s great. I suppose you’re going to get all possessive once vows are exchanged, like Adrian here did with Nicole.”

  At the mention of Nicole, the jovial mood took a nosedive and silence reined for a few minutes before Adrian said coolly, “If you’ll recall, Ash, Nicole didn’t comply with my ‘no fucking others’ rule.” Adrian knew the look he pinned his cousin with contained distrust, but he couldn’t help it. James and Nicole had been an item for a short while before she put all her efforts into snagging him, but James had easily gone back to playing the field and had assured him his and Nicole’s relationship was never serious and it wasn’t long after he had hooked up with Nicole that James had seemed to latch onto Rachel. Ash, on the other hand, loved the ladies, the more variety the better.

  “She may not have complied, Adrian, and I may be willing to fuck from one end of the coast to the other, but I draw the line at trespassing, even if the woman is willing.” Ash slammed his glass down on the table. “Nora and Adam headed upstairs already. I think I will also,” he said before walking stiffly out.

  “Be careful, Adrian. I’m warning you as your friend.”

  Adrian looked at James, the worry evident in his green eyes. “She was seeing someone, James, and that someone met her on the cliff that night. I’m as sure of that as I am that I’m a Pendelton.”

  “That may be true, but she could’ve hooked up with anyone from around here, and you know it.”

  “She worked too hard to reel me in and she wouldn’t jeopardize losing all this,” Adrian swept his arm out indicating the manor, “for a fling. Adam and Ash have just as much as I do financially, the only thing allotted to me alone in our parent’s wills and as the eldest Pendelton was the manor and the reins of Pendelton Industries of which I’ve shared equally with both Adam and Ash. She could keep the manor if she bore the first male heir.”

  “So why didn’t you two have kids? That would have solved the problem.” James helped himself to a shot of whiskey, sipping it slowly as he watched his friend over the rim.

  “We weren’t ready at first, then things started to go sour. Her flirting, her outrageous spending, and the endless fights over the changes she wanted to make around here. I finally told her I wasn’t willing to bring a child into our relationship when it was in jeopardy.” Just another thing to regret where his wife was concerned, he thought. It would have been better if he had just divorced her outright without trying to salvage something that wasn’t worth saving. “I think that’s when she set her sights on either Ash or Adam.” Adrian ran a tired hand over his face, hating himself for even considering one of his cousins would betray him, but the facts couldn’t be denied.

  James frowned at his friend, saying, “The kid would be illegitimate, therefore unable to inherit. What would that have gained her?”

  “If she got pregnant by one of them, all she had to do was divorce me and marry him before it was born. Then she’d make my life miserable by continuing to fight me over renovating this place to her taste and I’d have to live with it until I died and the house went to the next eldest Pendelton.” Adrian pushed away from his desk in disgust and began to pace. “She wanted to take our historic family home and turn it into some modern showcase mansion. Hell, in only a few weeks and with nothing but some hard work and polish, Sophie has this place looking the way it was supposed to look.”

  A small smile played at the corners of James’ mouth as he eyed Adrian speculatively. “Growing fond of your new housekeeper, Adrian?”

  “She’s a good employee,” he answered coolly as he stopped his pacing and saw the glint in James’ eyes. “Nothing else.”

  James knew him well enough to know when to retreat. Dropping the subject, he said, “Well, just make sure you know what you’re doing. Mind if Rachel and I grab a room upstairs tonight?”

  “You know you don’t have to ask,” Adrian said tiredly. “Help yourself.” As Adrian went to the elevator and sought his own solitary room, he wondered which room Sophie was going to end up in and why the thought of her in someone else’s bed tonight bothered him.

  Sophie tossed and turned into the early morning hours, the cold, closed look on Adrian’s face as he left the solarium refusing to leave her alone. In a house full of people on almost any given day, why was it he always seemed to be alone? It was true he purposely held himself back from personal involvements, even with his cousins, but was she the only one who could detect how that bothered him? Maybe, she thought as she turned over again in an effort to get comfortable, she was reading him wrong, projecting her own solitary life, a life kept free of entanglements, onto him. She kept reminding herself she didn’t know him that well, but that didn’t seem to quell the urge she had to go to him again tonight, to try to take his mind off whatever put that closed look on his face, to try to see what those incredible eyes looked like thawed of the coldness they constantly held.

  As Sammy curled next to her, her small furry body a light comfortable weight against her stomach, she finally settled into place and willed her mind to stay off subjects that were none of her business. She tried relishing the effects of the past few hours, her sated body still humming from her multiple orgasms, her nipples still tingling from Adam’s mouth, her pussy aching from being so unaccustomly stretched and filled and her buttocks feeling swollen and warm, still pulsing from the abuse heaped upon them, but her mind couldn’t let go of a dark, brooding face and the way Adrian had looked at her as he left the room. A look that slowly took in her nakedness, that lingered on her tight nipples still wet from Adam’s mouth down to where her folds were still spread around the dildo, her curls damp from her climaxes. A look that had her creaming that dildo all over again but wishing it was his cock instead. A look that had her aching even now to feel his cock between her thighs, replacing the memory of the dildo with an even more erotic one of his hard flesh filling her. Something she knew was a bad idea and was not going to happen if he had anything to say about it.

  Over the next two weeks, Sophie discovered the unusual dynamics in this household were as unorthodox as they were welcome. Despite Adrian’s suspicions of his cousins, the three of them got on well and when James, Nora and Rachel were around, the six of them bickered like siblings, teased like friends and fucked like lovers. Their easy camaraderie and Adrian’s continued polite indifference made it easier for Sophie to face them again after the evening in the solarium, but at the same time, grateful that there hadn’t been any repeat performances since.

  After finally getting the manor caught up from its previous neglect, she had settled into a routine that made sure everything was cleaned once a week which left her weekends free. A few times, when she had finished early during the week, she had gone into town and had dinner with Rachel or Nora, or both of them. They had gladly showed her their favorite cafes and places to shop other than their small boutique. She had gotten a library card so she had something new to read in the evenings and had gotten so settled into her new surroundings that the only thing she missed about her home was being able to visit Emily’s grave, something that was weighing heavily upon her today.

&nbs
p; Sophie looked out her bedroom window at the gloomy, grey day that seemed to match her melancholy mood perfectly. She had known this day was coming, the two year anniversary of Emily’s death, and the pain of her loss was no more acute today than any other day, but it was one of those days that she usually visited the cemetery with a bundle of pink, baby roses and spent time sitting on the bench near her plot praying her daughter knew how much she had loved her, how much she missed her, and how sorry she was she couldn’t save her.

  Feeling the grief welling up inside her, Sophie left her room and spent the rest of the afternoon walking the cliffs, lost in her memories as the pain of Emily’s loss filled her with a despair she wondered if she’d ever get over. The past few weeks had been so busy with getting acclimated to her new job, trying to fit in with everyone and learning her way around, not to mention the reawakening of her dormant sex life, that she had been able to stave off allowing the depression over Emily’s loss to consume her until today. Today, she couldn’t seem to fight off her low mood.

  The fresh air and brisk walk did little to soothe her today, but she never failed to be awed by the breathtaking beauty of the Maine coast. All along the coast, jagged rocks and cliffs with a view of bays and inlets were a visual contrast of the forested slopes sweeping down to the sea. The landscape reminded her of the poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay that Adrian had hanging in his office, ‘All I could see from where I stood, was the long mountains and a wood. I turned and looked the other way and saw three islands in a bay’. The first time she had seen and read it she had been surprised that her taciturn boss had a whimsical streak in him, which reminded her how little she really knew him.

  Stopping near the edge of the cliff, Sophie glanced down to where the cold waters of the Atlantic battered against the rocky shore, much like her emotions were battering her senses today. Along this stretch of Pendelton land, there was no sandy beach, just steep jagged cliff sides that ended at the ocean’s gate. Glancing out across the wide expanse of never ending water, instead of the ocean blue meeting sky blue, ocean blue met dark, roiling clouds. Resigning herself to a long night ahead in not only dealing with her melancholy, but also with what was forecasted to be a hell of a storm, she turned back home.

  As the wind picked up and the temperature seemed to drop, Sophie hugged her arms around her, the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore below her following her. Unexplainably, the urge to seek out Adrian grew in her the closer she got to home. Normally she preferred to be alone when these moods were upon her, preferring to mourn and grieve by herself than to listening to platitudes from well-meaning people, but people who were clueless to what she felt. When she entered the courtyard and saw James packing up his gardening equipment, she went over to him in the hopes he could tell her where Adrian was.

  “It looks like the forecasters were right for a change and a big one’s rolling in,” James said as she waved.

  Sophie shuddered at just the thought of what was coming. Trying to hide her unease and mask her grief, she asked, “Have you seen Adrian? He was gone when I came downstairs this morning.” She had no idea why she was asking about him or why she had the urge to seek out a man who had been so intent on keeping his distance from her, or why, when James shook his head, she felt so let down.

  “Sorry, haven’t seen him today. I know he sent Ash up north again to deal with another problem at the same mill he was just at, and Adam and Nora won’t be back from visiting her parents in Portland for a few hours yet. Rachel and I had planned on spending the evening at her place, but we can come over tonight, if you want. Is something wrong, Sophie, or is it just the weather that’s bothering you?”

  His green eyes were sympathetic as well as curious, making Sophie wish she had just waved and gone inside. She didn’t want to come across as pathetic, so she simply smiled, saying, “No, just a few questions about the house that can wait. You and Rachel stay in. Like you said, it looks like it’s going to be a bad night to be out. I hope Adam and Nora get back before the storm breaks.”

  Glancing at the sky, James said, “It’s still several hours out yet. Don’t worry though, the house is solid as a rock and there’s a back-up generator if the power goes out. This place has weathered a lot of storms and come out unscathed.”

  Sophie could tell by his voice he had a fondness for the manor. “It must have been fun hanging out here while growing up.” She could picture the four of them running around causing havoc and acting like boys.

  A smile filled with fond memories split his weathered face. “We did have some good times running up and down those halls and climbing these cliffs. Until we discovered girls, that is.” He winked at her then gathered up his pruning shears. “I’ve got to run. Don’t let the storm bother you tonight, Sophie.”

  That was easier said than done, Sophie thought a few hours later as the storm blew in with gusto. Adam and Nora had come in earlier, greeted her as she sat in the kitchen with a cup of hot tea and her new library book, denying to herself she was waiting to see if Adrian came in. Between the howling wind, the beating rain and hail, the jagged streaks of lightning followed swiftly by loud thunder claps and her never ending plaguing grief over Emily’s loss, she once again found herself tossing and turning in bed, unable to get to sleep. Poor Sammy had given up on her and had jumped off the bed to lay curled up on a plush chair, the storm obviously not bothering her in the least.

  By midnight, the frenzied storm inside her matched that of the one raging outside in intensity so that when the lights went out she jolted upright in bed before stumbling blindly towards her door. The dark hallway was barely lit by a battery operated light in the wall that came on automatically with the loss of electricity, its meager light casting shadows eerily along the corridor. The door to Adam’s room at the other end was closed and, except for the constant barrage from the elements pounding the manor with loud, vigorous force, there wasn’t another sound. Taking deep breaths, Sophie willed her heartbeat to slow as she rubbed her clammy hands down her nightshirt. James had said a back-up generator would kick in if the power went out, but she had no idea how long that would take. When minutes passed with her still rooted in her open doorway, her hand clutching the wall for support, she decided she didn’t want to be alone in the dark, waiting for God knew how long.

  Bothering Adam and Nora was out of the question, so, picking up Sammy and cuddling her close, she turned to the staircase that led up to Adrian’s floor and, praying he was there and awake, she fled to where she felt safest.

  Chapter Seven

  Somehow, Adrian wasn’t surprised to see Sophie on the other side of his door when he opened it to her timid knock. He had tried without success to delegate her back to employee status only, but the memory of her small, slender body riding that dildo, her tormented eyes locked on his, refused to leave him, which did nothing to improve his already irritable disposition. Adam and Ash had called him on it several times which had led to more unproveable accusations and widened the growing rift between them. Even easy going James had cautioned him to lighten up, which of course, he had ignored.

  Sophie had his house looking better than it had in years. The rich woodwork gleamed from her efforts, there wasn’t a cobweb in sight, the floors were kept swept and even the light fixtures shined brighter from being cleaned. Those light fixtures that had remained dark for too long now, telling him there was a glitch with the generator. Despite the glow from small battery powered lights that he had installed in every room in the house, he knew most of the house remained in the dark. He had managed to find his flashlight and was headed out to check the generator while trying to ignore the urge to go check on Sophie when she knocked on his door.

  As soon as the storm had rolled in and opened up, he had thought of her, wondered how she was faring, how she was dealing with her irrational fear and how she had coped today on the second anniversary of her daughter’s death, a date that had been included in his background check of her. He didn’t care, he had told himself repea
tedly throughout the day, but looking down into her face, a face dominated by achingly sad big blue eyes filled with fear and unimaginable grief, he knew he had been kidding himself. He cared more than he wanted to, more than he should considering his personal agenda and more than was wise considering her fragile state of mind.

  Hardening his resolve, he glared at her as he demanded roughly, “What are you doing up here? Why aren’t you in bed?”

  Sophie looked up into that coldly implacable face and wondered the same thing. What was it about him that constantly drew her to him even when she knew it was a very unwise course of action? The meager light from the flashlight in his hand cast his face in shadows, giving him a sinister look. Was she a fool for trusting this man, a man once accused of causing his wife’s death? As the storm continued to rage with brutal intensity, lightning splitting the dark wall of clouds followed swiftly by rolling thunder loud enough to shake the rafters, her senses vacillated between fear and arousal.

  She swallowed convulsively past the lump lodged in her throat as she took in his bare chest and feet and the obvious erection straining against the zipper of his jeans. He was a big, dominating man, a hard man both physically and emotionally and she knew she was way out of her element with him. Another silver, jagged streak of lightning struck at that moment, so bright it lit up his room from the two sets of French doors for a brief second before cloaking it in darkness again, the thunder that came on its heels making her visibly jump.

  “I-I’m sorry. I know it’s stupid, but I didn’t want to be alone. I hate storms and it’s so dark, and today… today was s-such a bad day…”

  Adrian stifled the urge to pull her into his arms and offer her comfort. Instead, he interrupted her excuses and gave her one more chance to avoid the inevitable. “If you come in, I’m going to fuck you. Is that what you want?”

  She didn’t know if she was ready to take that step, she thought, but she did know she didn’t want to return to her cold, dark room to deal with her cold, dark memories and fears alone. The urge to stay and yield to the searing need which had been building for days was stronger than the urge to flee, and clutching Sammy tightly, she nodded, not trusting her voice. Something dark and wild glittered in his pitiless black eyes as he hauled her into his room, his move making Sammy leap from her arms and run to make herself comfortable on the bed as Adrian pushed her against the wall and took her mouth in a hard, ruthless kiss.