Pendelton Manor

by B J Wane

  “There was always an unspoken agreement between us that, until we’re committed, everyone and everything is fair game,” Rachel added.

  Nora’s blue eyes twinkled with fond memories making Sophie grin back at her, a tad envious of missing out on having such close relationships in either high school or college. “I had friends in both high school and college, but not much time for play with working full time. You’re very lucky, no matter what others think of your alternative lifestyle.”

  “We thought so too, but now that my feelings for James have deepened, I admit I’d like more. He keeps hinting at making things permanent between us, but I haven’t seen any move in that direction yet,” Rachel said.

  “Yeah, me either. Adam is still ‘dating’ Casey off and on, but swears it’s just casual, as if that helps. Gravy sucking pig.”

  Rachel and Sophie laughed at the way she said that with a sigh of longing instead of disgust. “Well, thanks for explaining. I’ll take these,” Sophie said as she pushed the lingerie towards Nora across the counter, “and hope they appease Adrian’s bad mood. I’m sure I misconstrued his reaction last night and he really has no more interest in anything but sex than I do, especially after what he went through with Nicole.”

  “I wouldn’t bet on it, girlfriend,” Rachel said seriously.

  Sophie waved to James as he drove back down the drive late Monday afternoon, obviously done for the day as she was. He had spent a good portion of the afternoon on the grounds taking care of the gardens, lawn and shrubs as well as tending to all the plants in the solarium, the only one of his clients he said he saw to personally. Both Adam and Ash had returned from work early and were holed up in their office, but of Adrian she hadn’t seen anything since Friday night. She had joined the others for pizza Saturday night after returning from town, but she was so disappointed in Adrian’s conspicuous absence she had declined their offer to join them in the den, even after they promised no sexual pressure. Yesterday had been a dreary, drizzly day and she had spent most of it up in her room cleaning and reading, trying not to be upset about Adrian’s obvious avoidance of her and had ended with waking in the middle of the night from a dream of Emily crying out for her mommy, a mommy who was unable to help her.

  By the time the sun had risen, chasing away the gloom of the previous day, she had been up for several hours, the dream having left her floundering in the familiar, agonizing maelstrom of grief. As she set off now on her walk, Sophie turned her face up to the sun to embrace its soothing warmth in the hopes it would chase away the cold that had been with her all day. Lost in thoughts of Emily and how she used to love being outdoors on warm days playing in the small sandbox she had built for her, of her sweet laughter and angelic face and the feel of her small, round arms hugging her, she walked and walked, continuing past the lighthouse in silent grief filled remembrance until she once again noticed the evening fast approaching.

  Not wanting to get any more on Adrian’s bad side than she already was, she turned back to the manor, wishing for the first time in two years that she had someone to turn to in her grief, someone to hold her, someone to reassure her life was still worth living. The wind had picked up considerably and now that the sun was on its way down, there was a chill in the air that had her hugging her arms and picking up her pace.

  As she once again came to the lighthouse, she noticed the door ajar about a foot making her wonder if Sammy had slipped inside and gotten stuck or lost in the old structure, unable to find her way out. There had still been no sign of her, and Sophie missed her more than she had ever thought possible, having grown quickly accustomed to her small presence.

  Unable to turn away from the possibility, she trod carefully through the overgrown brush. The door was old, weathered thick wood but it opened on squeaky hinges and with Adrian’s warning of the structures unsafe state of disrepair, she entered the dark, musty interior with caution. The howling wind echoed in the rafters and gave the place a creepy feeling as did the cobwebs and the banging shutters from the upstairs windows.

  “Sammy,” she called out softly, the meager light coming through small windows high up barely enough to help her make out a few chairs, a table and an old desk, but no sign of a cat. She had only gotten halfway into the room when the door slammed shut with a loud bang, making her jump and whirl around.

  She ran back to the door, grasped the handle and shoved only to find it stuck. Over and over she shoved with all her might against the unyielding wood to no avail, it wasn’t budging. Turning, she leaned against it, her breathing labored as she tried to keep the panic from rioting through her. Keep calm, she told herself over and over. The wind must have blown it shut and it was just stuck, that’s all. Someone would eventually come to look for her, but how long she’d be trapped in here was what worried her.

  As what little light there was slowly waned, the encroaching darkness made her sink to the floor while panic like she’d never known before welled in her throat. Since losing Emily, she didn’t fear death for herself, on the contrary, there had been times in those first months, when the grief had been so consuming she thought she would welcome it as a chance to see and hold her beloved daughter again. But she did fear the darkness of the unknown, feared all the things the noises could be that sent her imagination into overdrive, feared she wouldn’t get the chance to see Adrian again, feel his hard body giving her such intense pleasure it obliterated everything except for the addictive need for more.

  After fifteen minutes of nerve racking self-pity, she rose on shaky legs and once again pushed against the door, pushed and pushed until her arms gave out and then she used her voice to call for help until she was hoarse and fell once more to the floor, this time to bury her face and sob in fear and despair.

  “Have you seen Sophie?” Adrian asked his cousins when he stepped into their office. No matter what he did or how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop thinking of her and for some inexplicable reason the need to see her, connect with her had sent him home in search of her for the first time in over two days. After spending the weekend unsuccessfully striving to delegate Sophie back to the status of just his employee and occasional fuck buddy and focus on finding Nicole’s lover, he had finally admitted he wanted her any way he could get her. The report the vet gave him from the lab this morning confirmed that Sammy had been fed some tuna laced with rat poison, which only raised more questions and suspicions and made him want to get home to her all the more.

  “She took off on her walk quite a while ago,” Ash answered as he looked up from his computer to the lowering sun out the window.

  “Want us to go look for her?” Adam asked, his brown eyes worried as he too noticed the time she had been gone.

  “No, I’ll go. I’ll probably meet her coming back. Thanks.”

  Heading out back, Adrian tried to rein in his anger and worry. Surely after what happened the last time she was out past nightfall, she wouldn’t be so foolish as to test him again. Then again, after the cold way he had left her the other night and the way he had avoided her over the weekend, maybe she thought he wouldn’t care one way or the other what she did, where she went or how late she walked the treacherous cliffs around his home. If that was what she was thinking, he’d be only too happy to show her how wrong she was.

  Chapter Eleven

  By the time the sun was an amber fireball glowing on the horizon and Adrian had searched past the lighthouse and was now headed back, he felt the control over his emotions, namely his anger and worry, slipping. According to Adam and Ash, Sophie had left earlier than usual for her walk and had now been gone for three hours. As he added calling her name to his efforts, he found himself glancing down among the rocky shore, his gut tightening with each look, his relief at finding nothing but the usual tide splashed, jagged coastline palpable. As he neared the lighthouse, he once again called out her name, this time louder, angry emphasis in his voice as it echoed in the evening air.

  The faint sound of Adrian’s angry tone roused Sophie fro
m her terror induced stupor. Struggling to her feet, the interior of the lighthouse now almost completely dark, she turned and pounded on the door once again, calling his name over and over as hope and longing filled her, giving her the boost of adrenaline she needed to be heard.

  Adrian had just moved past the lighthouse when the faint sound of her voice carried to him, followed by pounding coming from the long neglected structure. His first reaction was anger that she had once again defied his order and went where he specifically told her not to. While trying to control his rage, he raced toward the lighthouse, the fear in her voice evident the closer he got, which only worked to enrage him further.

  “Sophie!” Coming to a stop at the door, control became a distant memory as fear for her took over. Across the door, the wood bar had either fallen down or was deliberately lowered to lock her in, something that could have happened accidently if the wind had been responsible for the door slamming shut with enough jarring force to dislodge it, but still raised his suspicions to a new heightened state.

  “Adrian, I can’t get the door open,” she sobbed in relief, the sound of his voice right outside the door working to soothe her fears.

  Swearing, Adrian shoved the bar off and tossed it aside before flinging open the door and catching her as she fell into his arms, her body shaking as she flung her arms around his shoulders, clutching him tightly. “I’ve got you, you’re all right,” he whispered to her as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Sophie could tell by the rigid feel of his muscles and his tightly controlled rough voice that he was angry, that anger vibrating through his hard body, a threat to his iron clad control. “I didn’t ignore your warning on purpose, Adrian,” she said as she pulled back and looked up into his rigid face. “I saw the door was opened just enough that Sammy could’ve slipped through. I couldn’t just leave without at least looking to see if she was in there, possibly hurt.”

  Since Adrian had to take part of the blame for her predicament because he hadn’t told her about Sammy’s death, his anger loosened slightly, leaving what remained of it due to the fear she had had to endure and the possibility this had not been an accident.

  “You had no business ignoring my warning about this place, Sophie, not even for that damn cat.”

  “I’m sorry; I just had to find out if she could be in there and if she needed help.” Sophie welcomed his anger as well as the safe feel of his hard body against hers because both meant he still wanted her, no matter how much she had screwed up lately. His cock was semi-hard against her mound, and without her permission, her body responded with a force that stunned her. Aching to feel alive and safe again, she pushed her hips against his as she pulled his mouth down to meet hers. Quickly, before she could question whether he would welcome her aggression, she latched onto his lips, softly coaxing them to accept her, and when that didn’t work, nipping at his lower lip until he opened for her.

  Surprise held him immobile for all of ten seconds until Sophie’s small teeth bit his lip, the slight sting working to rouse his cock to full staff and his senses to full alert. Clasping her buttocks, he held her tightly against him as he rubbed his rigid, denim covered dick over and over her groin as he took over the kiss and invaded the warm recesses of her mouth as well as her senses.

  “Let’s take this home where I can deal with you properly,” he growled above her glistening plump lips.

  Sophie’s need bordered on desperation and she knew she couldn’t wait that long to feel him filling her again, stretching her until the pressure rose and the need swelled to the point of no return. As usual, the temperature had lowered with the sun, but she felt anything but cold right now. “No,” she demanded in a voice that was hoarse from yelling as well as desire. “Here, now.” Feeling as wild as the elements blowing around her, she released his shoulders to undo his jeans, the feel of his cock falling into her hands practically making her drool.

  Her hair whipped around a face still pale from fright, her eyes filled with desperation and latent fear, and when her hands wrapped around his cock, it was more than he could bear. Backing her towards the building that had recently been her prison, he pinned her to the stone wall with a fierce look that matched hers and took her mouth again, his lips hard, his tongue soft as they both groaned.

  Aroused beyond control, Sophie released his cock to undo her own jeans and shoved them down far enough to wriggle one leg free to wrap around his hip, her mouth never leaving his. Pulling his hips closer, she let him feel her bare pussy lips on his bare cock, her damp slit moistening his shaft as she helped prepare him to fuck her. As memories of the past few hours threatened to surface, bringing with them the fear, despair and haunting loss, she whimpered as she pulled away, pleading, “Fuck me, Adrian, please, now.”

  He hadn’t seen that look on her face since he had taken her the first time, the look that said she was dealing with an ache so acute, a loss so devastating, that she was desperate for a diversion, a look that also conveyed all the fear of being locked inside that darkening monstrosity with nothing but the wind and her memories for company.

  “Remember, Sophie,” he ground out as he plunged between those soft lips and filled her with one deep stroke, “you asked for this.”

  “No, I begged for it, and, oh God, Adrian, you feel so good. More, give me more.”

  Her breathless pleas were his undoing and grabbing her ass in his hands, he lifted her off of him only to slam her back down with enough force to jar both of them. “Open your shirt or I’ll rip it open.”

  By the look on his face, Sophie didn’t doubt him and as he continued to take her with hard, ramming strokes, she raised a shaky hand to the buttons on her top and managed to get them undone to just below her braless breasts before he shoved the material aside and bent down to take one turgid peak into his mouth. The deep, relentless sucking pressure sent added pleasure to her pussy, making her soak his cock even more, heightening her pleasure so fast, so high, she felt the pinnacle of release hovering.

  As her pussy started spasming with small grips that heralded her climax, Adrian pulled out of her, flipped her around and forced her hands flat against the wall. Pulling her hips back, he bent over her before thrusting back into her still clenching cunt.

  “Now, Sophie,” he grated as he leaned over her, one hand hard on her hip, the other reaching under her and clutching a soft breast as his hips thrust repeatedly against her soft ass. “Come on my cock; squeeze my come out of me until I’m drained dry.”

  Sophie screamed as the pleasure spiraled out of control, his hard hands on her ass and breast holding her still as she did as he commanded, clasping his dick with hard grips of her vaginal walls, milking every drop from him as she welcomed every second of the pleasure infusing her own body and senses.

  He watched from afar and the longer he stood there, the angrier he became. God damn it, this wasn’t how it was supposed to be, wasn’t the outcome he had been aiming for. Seeing Sophie come on to Adrian after they exited the lighthouse was the last response he had expected or hoped for. The previous things he had done, the generator and the cat, had been done out of anger and frustration, a spur of the moment reaction when he saw how close these two were becoming, but seeing Sophie enter the lighthouse, he had deliberately took advantage and locked her in, all in the hope that it would scare her away from Adrian, not to him.

  He had nothing against Sophie. She was nice, attractive and a pleasant addition to their group, but he’d be damned if Adrian found any pleasure from another relationship. As always, it came back to Nicole, the woman he had loved for so long he couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t love her. It had been his fault for not telling her how he felt before she took up with Adrian, so, for the sake of his relationship with not only Adrian, but the rest of them, he had reluctantly let her go. He just hadn’t realized how much he wanted her until he lost her, and when she became unhappy with her marriage and turned to him, he simply couldn’t turn her away. For over two years they had seen each other
behind Adrian’s back, making love and plans to be together.

  But something had changed the night she came to meet him on the cliffs, the night she was supposed to tell Adrian she wanted a divorce, the night she was supposed to tell Adrian she had never loved him, that he was the one she wanted to be with exclusively. Instead, she had come to him with tears in her brown eyes as she admitted it was Adrian she wanted, the husband she had been cuckolding for over two years, the man she swore she had never loved, she had only craved what he could give her. She had admitted that fateful night that all she had ever wanted was the status of being Mrs. Pendelton, being lady of the manor, married to the head of Pendelton Industries, hostess to parties for the elite of the state, mother of the Pendelton heir. Instead of running off with him, she said she wanted to stay and fight for her marriage, a marriage she hadn’t realized how much she wanted until she was faced with the real threat of losing it and everything that came with it.

  He had been so angry, so hurt and disillusioned he had grabbed her arms and shook her before releasing one arm and lifting his hand to strike her. But she had seized that opportunity to twist away from him, neither of them realizing how close they were to the edge of the cliff. He had tried to grab her as she fell backward, tried to stop the momentum of her struggle that had made her topple over, but was too late. Her scream as she went over and was swallowed up by darkness still haunted him as much as the abrupt silence that followed. Standing there on the cliff, he had called and called for what seemed like hours, his only response the sound of the ebb and flow of the waves splashing against the craggy shore and his own sobs as he desperately prayed for an answer.

  Watching Adrian fuck Sophie, remembering the look of possession on his face last week, even though he shared her, made him once again see red. It wasn’t fair that Adrian had taken the only woman he had ever wanted and he would be damned if he allowed him to find happiness with someone else while he was left to flounder alone. He saw now where he had gone wrong, that Sophie shouldn’t have been the target of his rage, Adrian should have been. He didn’t want to hurt him, had never wanted to hurt anyone, but he did intend to send him a message that he wasn’t safe to be around. Knowing Adrian, he had no doubt he would put Sophie aside for her own safety if nothing else. And that was all he really wanted, was for Adrian to spend the rest of his life as lonely and as miserable as he was.