Trapped in a Castle

by Katie Holland

  In spite of everything I had to smile back.

  “I think introductions are necessary,” Ellis announced. “Eve, this is Marissa, the oldest sister. Marissa, this is Eve, my girlfriend.”

  “Now that everything has been cleared up I’d better be going,” Marissa said. “Eve, it was a pleasure to meet you and again, I’m really sorry for earlier. Ellis, I’ll see you next weekend.”

  Marissa got her purse and coat and left.

  Ellis was looking at me. “Are you alright Eve? I mean this was a pretty intense couple of hours.”

  “Um … I think I am. I feel stupid now.”

  “Oh no, no, no, Eve, don’t feel like that at all. This is all my fault, well and my sister’s fault. I know how I would feel if a man I didn’t know answered your door.”

  “I should have said something when she answered the door. Instead I just left.”

  “It’s okay Eve, but if that happens again maybe just yell for me. If I’d known it was you I’d have shoved Marissa out of the way and told you to come in.”

  “Okay, so we both made mistakes,” I said.

  “Yep. And hopefully we’ll both learn from them. Now are you hungry?”

  I hadn’t been but now that I knew what was really going on I actually was hungry. I nodded.

  “Good. I hope you’re starving because there’s a lot of food,” Ellis said laughing. “Have a seat.”

  “Um … I just have to send a quick text to my mom. That’s where I went when I left.”

  “Oh crap, does she hate me?” he asked.

  “No, actually she told me it was probably a misunderstanding and to give you the benefit of the doubt.”

  “Ah, she’s a smart woman,” he said with a smile.

  I texted mom that everything was okay, and I’d call her later. Whatever Ellis had made for dinner smelled incredible.

  I sat down at the table and waited for Ellis. He brought a plate of bread and then each of us a plate of food. It was roast beef with all the trimmings.

  “This looks great,” I told him and eyed the bread. “Did you really make that by yourself?”

  “Yep, Marissa instructed me, but I did all the manual labor. Try it.”

  I took a piece, put a little butter on it and took a bite. It was really good.

  “Wow, I’m impressed. It’s really very good.”

  “Thanks, but it certainly wasn’t worth all the trouble it caused.”

  “I think it’s time that we met each other’s families. If I’d known that was your sister there wouldn’t have been any confusion.”

  “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

  “You make your family sound scary,” I laughed.

  “They can be a bit overwhelming at times.”

  “Can’t all families be that way?”

  “I guess you’re right. So, when would you like to meet the rest of my crazy family?”

  “Actually, I thought we could maybe have a little bit of a get together and we could meet everyone at the same time.”

  “That’s actually a good idea. Something informal like drinks and appetizers?”

  “Yeah, exactly like that. But I’d like my brother to be there. Let me talk to him and see when he was planning to come home next.”

  “Fair enough. Now, enough talking, more eating. I really want you to try the beef.”

  The meal was fantastic. We cleaned up and Ellis insisted I take some for my lunch tomorrow. He wanted my co-workers to be jealous that my boyfriend could cook. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching TV.

  Chapter 27

  Next weekend was Valentine’s Day. It would be the first one I would be spending with a boyfriend. Luckily it was on a Friday night, so I didn’t have to worry about staying up late. Because with what I had planned I hoped to be up very, very late. I told Ellis I was going to cook him a romantic meal and would like to spend the night in. He thought that sounded like a great idea.

  What he didn’t know was that I was planning on giving him me as his gift. We hadn’t had sex yet and every time we kissed I thought I was going to spontaneously combust. I must have had about a dozen sex dreams about him and always woke up wanting him more.

  I was going shopping today after work to find the perfect lingerie. That was all I could think about during the day. I’d made a few errors because I was having trouble concentrating. I was glad when work was finally over. I headed to a boutique lingerie shop that I used to go to with my friends.

  I found a parking spot and went into the shop. I loved the things they had in here. There was everything from everyday stuff to super sexy. I headed to the section that held what I was looking for. It had been ages since I’d been here, but the store was still laid out the same.

  I browsed for a while trying to decide on the bra and panty set I liked the most when I thought I heard someone call my name. I looked up, it was Corrine, one of my friends from before my accident.

  “Eve is that you?” she said.

  “Corrine. Oh my God! I can’t believe I ran into you here. It’s really good to see you.”

  She came over and we hugged.

  “You look great Eve. It’s been way too long. The last time I saw you was in that care facility and you couldn’t walk, now look at you.” Corrine got a sad look on her face suddenly. “I’m really sorry about what happened to you and that we drifted apart. I wasn’t a very good friend.”

  “Don’t worry about it Corrine. We were in very different places in our lives. It was a difficult time and it was hard for everyone. Obviously, the universe had other plans for us at the time. It took me almost two years to fully recover. I couldn’t expect you to give up your life for me.”

  “You always were the practical one Eve. So, what are you shopping for?”

  “A sexy get up for Valentine’s Day. You?”

  “Oh, I’m not shopping. I own this place now.”

  “Really, that’s awesome. You always did love this shop.”

  “Let me help you pick out something then how about we go next door and get a coffee. I’d love to catch up.”

  “Sounds great.”

  Corrine picked out the perfect lingerie for me. It was one of those things where the bra was fitted and had flowing see through material under the bra and was open in the front. It had matching panties and stockings. The whole thing was light pink and white. I absolutely loved it and I was sure that Ellis would too.

  After I paid for it she told her employee that she was going next door and off we went. We each got a coffee and sat down at a table. We talked for an hour before she needed to get back to the shop. We exchanged phone numbers and promised not to lose touch again.

  The first thing I did when I got home was call mom.

  “Hi honey,” she said as she answered. “How was your day?”

  “Well work didn’t go so great today, but you’ll never guess who I ran into … Corrine.”

  “Your old friend Corrine?”

  “Yes, and guess what. She owns that lingerie store that us girls used to go to.”

  “That’s great Eve. Where did you run into her?”

  “At the lingerie store,” I laughed. “We went for coffee and talked for an hour. It was really great to see her. She’s been married for about a year and her husband is some kind of financial advisor. She looked really good mom.”

  “I’m happy for you. Do you think you’ll see her again?”

  “For sure. We exchanged numbers and promised to stay in contact. She felt really bad about how we drifted apart after the accident.”

  “It was a hard time for everyone.”

  “That’s exactly what I told her. Hang on, someone’s at the door.”

  I opened the door. Ellis was standing there with a couple of pizza boxes.

  “Have you eaten yet?”

  I shook my head.

  “Good, come over and share this pizza with me.”

  “Okay, just give me a minute to finish my call with mom. Leave your doo
r unlocked.”

  “You bet,” he said and went across the hall.

  “Mom, I gotta go. Ellis brought pizza home and invited me to join him.”

  “Okay honey. Have fun. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Bye mom.”

  I went over to his apartment. He had two plates out with pizza already on them.

  “How was your day?” he asked as I sat down.

  “Interesting.”

  “Really, tell me.”

  “Well for starters I got your Valentine’s present.”

  “Any hints.”

  “Nope, I’m like a safe. You’ll never get anything out of me.”

  “You know I have to try right?”

  “Try all you want. It won’t work,” I told him. “Anyway, while I was shopping I ran into one of my old friends. We kind of drifted apart after my accident. We were just in very different places at the time. I was trying to learn to walk again and they were going out and partying. But it was so great to see her again.”

  “That’s great. I’ve noticed that you don’t seem to have a lot of friends. I kind of wondered why but I didn’t want to ask.”

  “Yeah after my accident things just weren’t the same for me. It was hard at the time, but my focus was on learning to use my arms and legs again. If we were meant to stay friends, we would have. Running into Corrine today just proved that.”

  “I’ve never known anyone quite like you Eve. You’re so strong and level headed.”

  I laughed. “Just the way every girl wants to be described.”

  Ellis laughed with me. “You are many, many things Eve, those are just two of them. You’re also, intelligent, witty, caring, beautiful, sexy … do I need to go on?”

  “Okay, okay, stop,” I told him between laughs. “And you’re all those things too.”

  “Even beautiful?”

  “Especially beautiful”

  “You offend my manliness Eve. The next thing you’re going to tell me is that I have pretty hair and lovely nails,” he said making model like gestures.

  “Oh, you do,” I told him. I was laughing so hard at him I had tears in my eyes. The next thing I knew he was picking me up out of my chair and holding me in his arms.

  “Is this manly enough for you?”

  All I could do was laugh harder. I finally managed to say “Yes, very manly. I think you can put me down now.”

  “I don’t know, I kind of like you here,” he whispered in my ear.

  That sent a shiver down my spine that I’m sure he noticed. The sexual tension was thick and since I wanted to wait until Valentine’s Day to finally have sex with him I decided to try and make light of the situation instead.

  “Is this why you work out? So, you can go around treating unsuspecting women like a sack of potatoes?” I tried to sound serious but the smirk on my face didn’t help my cause.

  “I’ll show you a sack of potatoes,” he said, and proceeded to throw me over his shoulder, took me into the living room and dumped me on the couch.

  I was laughing uncontrollably. “I haven’t laughed this much in ages. I feel like a kid again,” I told him.

  He was just standing there staring at me. “What?” I asked.

  “You’re beautiful when you laugh.”

  “So are you,” I said. I just couldn’t help it.

  Ellis smiled at me. “You’re impossible.”

  “I know, it’s one of my many charming qualities. Now help me up and let me finish eating. I was starving from shopping.”

  After dinner I curled up next to Ellis on the couch to watch TV. I sighed in contentment. This is how life was supposed to be.

  Chapter 28

  It was finally the day of our Valentine’s date. I decided to re-create the meal from the first time I cooked for him, with the exception of the cake. I didn’t have time to make it so last night I’d made individual white chocolate lemon mousse parfaits.

  Ellis was supposed to be here at 7:00. That gave me enough time to make the potatoes, start the steaks, and grab a quick shower. I put on my sexy lingerie and looked in the mirror. Wow. He was going to love it. I put on my dress and went back to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner.

  I wanted my entire apartment to have a romantic feel, so I dimmed or turned off all the lights, except the kitchen, and lit candles. Not just one or two, more like two or three dozen. They were all over the living room, bedroom and even the bathroom. When I was done I stood back to admire my handiwork. I loved it. The candles gave off the soft glow I was looking for.

  At exactly 7:00 Ellis knocked on my door. I opened it and smiled. “Come in.”

  “You look stunning Eve. Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, and kissed me as he came through the door.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day to you too. And I must say you look great tonight.” Boy did he ever. Good enough to eat. And his cologne … mmm, his cologne. I wanted to say forget dinner and go straight to the bedroom. I giggled in my head. It was like I was a sex crazed maniac, or maybe lack of sex was actually driving me crazy.

  I controlled my wayward thoughts and poured us each a glass of wine. “Dinner will be ready shortly.”

  “Good, I’m starving,” he said. “Do I smell steak?”

  “You sure do.”

  “I can’t wait, it was great last time. Can I help with anything?”

  “Nope, just stand there and look pretty.”

  He chuckled. “Now that I can do.”

  I plated our food and took it to the table, turning the kitchen light off on the way. I’d achieved my goal of a romantic candlelight dinner. We had a pleasant dinner and the conversation flowed smoothly. So far, the night was perfect.

  When we were finished I took the plates to the kitchen and got the dessert. The closer we got to finishing dinner the more my heart started to beat in anticipation. It had been a long time since I’d had sex and it had never been with someone that I had strong feelings for, except for Jackson and I’m not sure if that counted since it had all been in my head. I just hoped I didn’t embarrass myself.

  “This dessert is great Eve. I still think you should look at opening a bakery.”

  “I’ve actually been giving that some thought since you suggested it. I haven’t made up my mind but it’s something that I’m now considering as potentially part of my future.”

  “That’s great, I think it would be a huge success if you found the right location.”

  We finished the dessert and I took the glasses into the kitchen. When I came back there was a small box sitting at my place on the table.

  “What’s this?” I asked as I sat down.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day Eve. Open it.”

  I opened the box and smiled at what I saw inside. I picked it up to have a closer look. It was a charm bracelet. I took a closer look at the charms on it. There was a cupcake, a book, an angel, and an E.

  “Oh Ellis, it’s perfect. I love it.”

  “The E is for Ellis by the way, not Eve,” he said with a smile. “Do you really like it?”

  “Yes, I’ve never had one before.”

  “I thought those things represented you. A cupcake for your love of baking. The book because you love to read. The angel is for your strength and, well, the E for both of us. The rest of the bracelet is for putting more memories on as they happen.”

  “Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever had such a thoughtful gift. Can you put it on me?”

  “Certainly.”

  He took the bracelet and I held out my wrist for him. It fit perfectly, and I liked the tinkling sound it made. All I could do was smile. I went over, sat on his lap, and put my arms around him.

  “Thank you,” I said with my lips close to his.

  “You’re welcome,” he said and kissed me.

  It was a slow lingering kiss that held our passion for one another. When we finally pulled away from each other I looked into his eyes and what I saw made my heart beat faster. I knew this was the perfect time to give him his gift.


  “It’s time for your gift Ellis. Come with me.”

  I led him to the bedroom and had him sit in the chair in the corner.

  “Close your eyes,” I told him. “I have to get it ready. And no peeking.”

  He closed his eyes and even put both hands over his eyes. I giggled. I slipped out of my dress and went to the closet to find the shoes I wanted. I made some noise, so he wouldn’t catch on to what I was doing, at least I hoped so. I put on my highest heels and went to stand in front of him.

  “Hold out your hands but keep your eyes closed,” I instructed.

  He did as I asked. I put my dress in his hands.

  “Okay, you can open your eyes now.”

  The first thing he looked at was my dress in his hands. There was a moment of confusion in his eyes until he saw me standing there in my lingerie.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” I said.

  It didn’t take him two seconds to get out of the chair and have me on the bed. His mouth was on mine and his hands were everywhere. When he came up for air I giggled and asked, “So you like my outfit?”

  “God Eve, you look so hot. I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw you standing there like that.”

  I giggled again. “Well at least I got the reaction I was hoping for.”

  “Do I get to unwrap my present now?” he said in a low voice.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  Ellis started planting kisses down my body. He made a trail down my neck and to each shoulder. Between my breasts and down my stomach. Then he placed a kiss over my barely there panties. I thought I was going to melt. I wanted my panties off right that second, but he had other ideas. The trail of kisses continued down each thigh to the top of my stockings. He slowly removed each stocking kissing as he went. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.

  “Ellis please.”

  “Please what Eve?”

  “Please, I need more. It’s been too long.”

  “As you wish.”

  He reached up and removed my panties. I wanted to both cover myself and open up to him. I was at war with myself. But Ellis made the choice for me. He crawled between my legs and put his mouth on my most sensitive spot. Only his hands on me kept me on the bed. My orgasm hit me hard. I was gasping for air while Ellis continued his assault.