by Viva Fox
Pausing the video on her iPad, she took her phone and started downstairs. As she reached the top of the stairs, her hand felt the wall for the light switch. To her surprise, she saw the downstairs already blazing. That was odd. She was sure that she had turned off the lights when she’d come upstairs. Maybe she was seeing things.
No, when she reached the bottom of the stairs she saw that she was not seeing things. Every light in the downstairs rooms had been turned back on.
Any buzz that she had once had was gone. In fact, Elizabeth felt the alcohol and bar food roll in her stomach. She was sure that she had turned off all of these lights-one hundred percent. There was absolutely no one else who could have turned them back on.
She checked the doors. The front door was firmly locked. That left only the back door. Elizabeth made her way into the kitchen. The back door was also latched. So how could-?
And then she saw it. She caught it first from the corner of her eye. When she fully turned, she saw that it was standing wide open. The door to the servants’ stairs which the men had opened. The door which Daniel had declared led to the basement, and could let anyone in. It stood fully open, leaning against the wall. Elizabeth shrank back against the back door. She was suddenly terrified.
After a week, Elizabeth had grown grumpy in the house. Not even grumpy really-frightened. In fact, she’d become so frightened, she’d called an alarm company. She’d asked for the first available appointment. After some hemming and hawing, the man had agreed to come the next afternoon. Now every night, Elizabeth set the alarm. She felt much better. So far, she hadn’t had anything else in the house.
That had not stopped the scratching on the windows. She heard it when she lay in the upstairs bedroom at night. Something dragged over and over on the glass. She tried to tell herself that it was only branches. Morning light revealed no branches rubbing against windows. All of the shrubs were neatly trimmed below them.
There had first been the flash of a haunting in her mind. Maybe she was currently living in one of those houses that you only saw on reality shows. But that thought disappeared with the alarm system. She was sure that any eighteenth century ghosts she might have were not familiar with the concept of a security alarm, so it was certainly not stopping them.
Which left the next logical option-human. That was also the far more terrifying thought. Her grandmother had always told her never to fear the dead-only the living. Rick and Philip had tried to tell her that there was nothing to worry about. Philip had assured he was on the property all the time. No one had come or gone. Furthermore, there was no one in town who would want to hurt her, he was certain of that. It was undeniably some local kids who wanted to scare the new lady in town. It did not make her feel much better, but it was at least something. She had given Philip the alarm code just in case of emergency.
Rick had been making it a point to check on her at night. That was her favorite distraction. Elizabeth knew now how the tween girls felt when their crush sent a message. Rick’s messages made her smile. When she was alone in the dark house with only her iPad for company, a quick word from him made her less lonely.
They’d had dinner twice now. Each time it was at the bar. Rick had told her that he didn’t want her to think he didn’t know of anywhere else to go. It was just a reasonable place for two people to go. Elizabeth didn’t mind. She actually found that she liked the place. All of the waitresses were friendly. She felt like she was walking into a small town Cheers. This was what she had come to a small town for-friendly people who always knew your name. She finally thought she would make friends quickly in town. If the other forty year olds hung out at the local pub, she did not mind going there to meet them.
She and Rick were having dinner again tonight. It did not matter that they were together during the day while he worked on her property. The two barely saw each other all day, so they had plenty to discuss in the evenings. And she could not complain about the work that the three were doing. They had checked all of the plaster and were now patching up the weak spots. It would be ready for paper and painting soon.
Elizabeth did not see much of Daniel. She felt no real need to. It made her uncomfortable to be around the other man. Since she had brought him up to Rick, he only acknowledged her and then went on his way. As charming and personable as his brother was, Daniel was that anti-social. The difference in the two men was night and day.
Tonight they’d spent more time drinking than talking. Elizabeth was in the mood for a few shots even though she was probably too old and would feel it the next day. Rick drove them home. He was bigger than she, and had a higher tolerance. She wasn’t drunk by any means, but she certainly felt the two shots of vodka mixed with her usual two drinks.
The alcohol lowered her inhibitions. So when Rick walked her up to the door, she immediately pulled him to her. He seemed startled, but not uninterested. Elizabeth raised her head. She brought her lips softly to his.
Rick did not pull away. He returned the kiss without hesitation. Elizabeth felt bolder by his actions. She allowed her tongue to press against his lips. Rick responded instantly. His lips parted, allowing her in. Elizabeth allowed her tongue to seek his. Rick’s strong hands gripped her tighter. She clung to his shoulders. In this moment, she was glad that she had moved to town. This was better than she ever could have hoped.
Finally, Rick pulled back a fraction of an inch. “Is this good night, or are you going to invite me in?” Elizabeth gave a low chuckle. “I thought you’d never ask.” She drew away from him long enough to unlock the door. Right now she didn’t care about weird houses or strange noises, she just wanted this man near her.
Once they were inside with the door locked behind them, their kiss resumed. Rick’s lips had returned more passionate. Elizabeth did not mind. She wanted him to keep kissing her all night. Hopefully he would.
She finally pulled back to lead him up the stairs. Her bed wasn’t due for another few days, so the air mattress would have to do.
Once in the bedroom she turned to face him. She wasn’t self-conscious about her body. She’d taken good care of it over the years. As she moved to kiss him once more, her fingers began to loosen the buttons of his plaid shirt. She pulled it open to reveal a firm set of abs. She hadn’t expected any less. Once it had been pushed down and to the floor, her hands were finally able to roam across his naked biceps. The muscles were solid. It was a comforting feeling beneath her hands.
His hands moved to tug the long sleeved black t-shirt over her head. She watched as he took a step back to admire her body. She lowered her head, hoping that he didn’t see the flush which crept into her cheeks. It had been a long time since anyone had seen her like this.
He pulled her against him. Elizabeth felt his hands roaming up her back. They came to rest on the clasp of her bra. She felt it spring free and the straps were slipping down her arms. She shrugged it off. For a moment, she simply enjoyed the feeling of her breasts pressed against his bare chest.
Rick’s hands moved up. He cupped her breasts between his palms. His thumbs played across her nipples. They hardened at his touch. Elizabeth drew her breath quickly. Rick nudged her gently. His hands guided her back to the air mattress and down.
She settled flat onto her back. He shifted himself on with her. It took a moment of positioning so they both weren’t thrown off of the mattress. Settling beside her, he lowered his mouth to her breast.
Elizabeth allowed her back to arch into his caress. It had been so long, and it felt so good. She let her hands drift up his bare back, finally coming to tangle in his hair. Rick did not lift his head. He kept up the warm tugging until he finally moved to the opposite side. That felt even better than the first. Elizabeth heard herself moan. She wondered if he was this good with his mouth everywhere.
He finally left her breasts. His tongue dragged down her ribs, over the smooth line of her stomach. He kissed along the waistband of her jeans before undoing the button. His fingers worked the zipper down. Elizabeth lifted her hips so that
he could pull them off.
As soon as her jeans were in a pile on the floor, his hands stroked over her underwear. His head followed. His mouth moved between her thighs, licking the fabric still covering her. Her hands gripped at the blanket as his tongue passed back and forth.
“Rick….” She finally breathed out. “Please.”
He answered by slipping his hands under the waistband of her underwear. He pulled them down her thighs, off of her feet and dropped them aside. Now his hands pushed her thighs apart. Elizabeth closed her eyes. She tried to prepare herself for the feeling of his mouth. Even though she was ready, she still cried out at the contact of his hot tongue against her hot flesh.
Rick’s tongue swirled around her. He licked up and down the small bundle of nerves which made her moan louder. One hand gripped his head to her while the other tried to keep her steady on the mattress. His tongue did feel as good as she had hoped.
He lifted his head, kissing the inside of her thighs. His eyes finally lifted to meet hers. She saw heavy desire in them. She could only imagine what he saw in hers after what his tongue had done to her.
“I need you badly Elizabeth.” He whispered thickly. “I’ve wanted you for so long.”
“Please.” It came out as a strangled whisper. But she was too far into the moment to really care about it. She wanted him on her, and in her, immediately.
Rick moved off of the mattress. He stood up to kick his shoes off. He peeled each sock off before finally starting on his jeans. He unbuttoned them, dropping them slowly down his hips. A pair of boxer briefs followed and he finally revealed himself to her. Elizabeth reached one hand up. She wrapped her hand around the thick organ. Now it was his turn to moan as he her hand stroked him up and down.
He dropped down to his knees beside her. Elizabeth rolled to the side of the mattress. She leaned forward, closing her mouth over his tip. Rick’s face contoured into pleasure. His hands immediately moved to stroke and finally tangle in her blonde hair. It was glorious, and erotic, and better than she had had in years.
Finally, Rick nudged her off of him. He eased her to lay back on the bed. Almost as soon as she had he was climbing on top of her. She sighed in contentment at the heavy weight over her. She felt him guide himself to her entrance. He pushed forward slowly. He stopped every few seconds to allow her to adjust. Finally, he was all the way in. She was satisfied at the feeling of him deep in her. Her legs moved to wrap around his waist while her hands held him to her.
Rick began moving in slow, deep thrusts into her. Elizabeth heard her small, whimpering cries as he pushed into her over and over. His hands moved down to angle her hip up to him. The switch in positions had him dragging over the spot deep inside of her. When she felt his thumb begin to rub against her nerves, it was too much. She cried out as her muscles tightened around him. She heard his own cry as he released himself deep into her. His forehead was falling against hers, and they were both panting.
“That was-.”
“Wonderful?” He opened his eyes to meet hers. “I’ve wanted you from the day we first met, Elizabeth. You felt just as good as I thought you would.”
Elizabeth smiled at his words. Her arms tightened around him. “I hope you don’t think that it was just because of the alcohol…”
“What? No, no of course not.” Rick moved off of her to lie down beside her. “The moment I saw you, I couldn’t believe that I was the lucky man who’d been the first to meet the beautiful new girl in town.”
Elizabeth laughed, shoving one hand off of his arm. “You make it sound like we’re in high school.”
“So what if we’re not?” Rick shrugged. “You make me feel….” His words broke off. To Elizabeth, he suddenly looked embarrassed.
“Well now you have to finish.” She propped herself up on one arm to face him. “What is it?”
“It’s just…” He rolled his eyes. “It’ll sound so cheesy.”
“Maybe I like cheesy.” She was just dying to know what he had to say.
“You make me feel like a high school boy.” His eyes finally met hers. “Being out with you has made me feel something that I haven’t felt in years. Not since my wife left.”
“I understand.” She did. She understood all too well. When a spouse left, it made you feel horribly inadequate. She’d had a few dates since her marriage had failed, and a few casual flings, but nothing that had ever made her feel quite like this.
“It’s good to share that understanding with someone, as painful as it is.” He was looking into her eyes. “I hope that tonight doesn’t make anything uncomfortable between us. I’d love to see more of you.” Elizabeth leaned in. She pressed her lips to his.
“Please,” she whispered. “I’d love that.”
“Good.” Rick kissed her again. “Me too.”
The following morning, Elizabeth found that she had slept better than she had ever dreamed in that house. With Rick beside her, she hadn’t noticed any bizarre creaks or groans. It had just been the two of them and that was all that mattered.
They went about their normal routine as though nothing had happened the night before. And neither one of them breathed a word to Philip or Daniel. Elizabeth was sure that Philip did not need to hear the details of his son’s romantic life. As for Daniel, she didn’t want him to know the details of anything that went on in her life. She supposed if things ever got serious with Rick that she would have to get used to the brother, but they weren’t there yet. She’d cross that bridge if and when they got to it.
It was getting late in the day. She knew the men were packing up for the day. She was in the middle of stripping off the last of the attic bedroom wallpaper when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Turning, she figured it was Rick.
“Are you leaving?” She moved to stand at the head of the attic stairs. She frowned when she saw that the stairs were empty. “What the-?”
Then it occurred to her. The servants’ stairs ran all the way up to the attic. That must have been the stairs she heard footsteps on. Crossing back to the other door, she reached for the doorknob. That was when she realized that the door was bolted from the outside.
Why had one of the men come up the stairs if the door was locked? And if they’d gotten this far, why hadn’t they called to her when they realized that it was locked? Was it worth going all the way back down?
“Elizabeth?” She jumped at the voice. Rick was now standing in the bedroom doorway. At her start, he looked concerned. “Are you ok?”
“Were you just on these stairs?” Elizabeth motioned to the closed door. Rick shook his head.
“Um, no. No one’s using those stairs. At least they’re not supposed to be. My dad wants to check them and make sure they’re sturdy. He doesn’t think they’ve really been used in years.”
“Right.” But Elizabeth suspected that she’d heard someone on those stairs recently. She shrugged. “Well, good idea. Are you guys leaving?”
“Yeah, well, Dad and Daniel are. They’re outside putting some stuff in the shed.” He moved across the room to her. His hands covered her forearms gently. “Are you ok? You seem a bit off.” Elizabeth gave him a firm smile.
“I’m fine. It’s just….” She shrugged. Rick looked curious.
“Just what? Tell me.” Elizabeth hesitated. He pressed his thumbs harder into her arms. “Would you rather tell me over dinner? We don’t have to go to the bar. There’s a great pizza place down the street. I can pick up some beer, or soda. We can have a picnic here.”
He was so warm and convincing Elizabeth had to smile. “That sounds great.”
“Ok.” Rick kissed her cheek. “You like pepperoni? How about mushrooms?” When she agreed to both, he released her. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
They ate pizza off of paper plates and drank beer in what would eventually be the downstairs parlor.
“I’ll be so glad to see my stuff.” Elizabeth told him as she wiped grease off of her fingers.
“And I imagine to stop eating grea
sy bar food and pizza with the help.” Rick winked at her.
“Hardly.” Elizabeth frowned. “That’s actually one of my favorite parts.” She paused for a quick kiss. “But I’m sure the gentleman that you speak of would be highly entertained if I could actually cook real food for him.”
“I’m sure your cholesterol will agree.” Rick remarked. They ate in silence for a few more moments. “So,” he looked at her, “do you want to tell me what had you upset earlier?”
“I wasn’t upset-not really.” Elizabeth blew a strand of hair out of her eyes with a heavy breath. “It’s just….”
“What?” Rick’s hand was on her arm. “Tell me.” She met his eyes for a moment. She finally nodded.
“Ever since I spent my first night in this house it’s been…weird.”
“Well, any new house would be right?”
“I stayed here when I was a kid and never had an issue.” She didn’t remember any of these oddities from when she was a child. She figured that her overactive imagination would be gone by this age.
“So how do you mean then?” Rick put down his beer, giving her his full attention. The full story began to pour out of her. She told him about the strange sounds, the ugly monkey. When she finished, Rick looked uncomfortable.
“All this on top of what happened that night we were going out.” Elizabeth nodded wearily.
“The only night that something didn’t happen was when you stayed over.” She shrugged. They were both silent. Rick’s face folded into a frown.
“Elizabeth, if someone really is doing something-.”
“It’s not serious, right?” She didn’t want it to be true. She didn’t want to believe that someone was intentionally messing with her. “I mean, I barely know anyone in town. No one would intentionally try to bother me or my house?”
“I like to hope not.” Rick took one of her hands. “But there are some sick people in this world. And that dead rabbit didn’t splatter himself onto the door.”
That was the one part that she truly couldn’t explain. Someone had taken the time to smear a dead animal on a door.