by Jill Gates
Watching Sophia lead the way, Vanessa could not help notice how little effort the woman seemed to need with the bags. She did not look very muscular but it was clear Sophia was a lot stronger than her. The brunette fiddled with the lock for a brief moment and swung the door wide, "After you," she said, giving a half bow with a silly grin. The blonde swept inside, ignoring her look, and took a few steps into the room before stopping, wide eyed and breathless.
A king size bed dominated the room, covered with layers of blankets and wonderfully dressed pillows. There were heavy oak headboards, two on each end, which matched the huge fireplace set in the wall. The walls were painted a muted stucco pattern, rich cream blended with accents to give texture. Upholstered seats, in the same dark wood, sat at the foot of the bed. In the corner, a nightstand, with a half mirror and in the opposite side, a claw foot classic bathtub. Vanessa felt tears well in her eyes for a moment, walking over to the upholstered couch. The sofa matched the chairs, mostly oak wood showing with minimal upholstering. Kneeling on the couch, she drew back the dainty white curtain and peered outside. The view of the gardens was lovely, and her heart swelled to near bursting.
"Everything okay?" Sophia asked, hesitant.
"Have you been here before?"
"Only to make reservations," Sophia replied, "It's the kind of place I've always wanted to go, but..." Sophia paused, trailing off. Vanessa looked back to see the brunette had set one duffle bag on each chair, and put her hands in her pockets. "Well, you can't come to a place like this alone." The look she gave Vanessa made her blush, and she shivered, suddenly nervous.
"Horseback riding?" Vanessa said, arching an eyebrow. She gave Sophia an appraising look, getting off the couch and walking over, swaying her hips just a bit more than usual. "Romantic getaway?" She shook her head, a smile creasing her lips. "Is this for real?"
"Yes," Sophia replied, her cheeks slightly pink. "You can't blame a girl for trying," she said, withdrawing her hands and reaching out, then stopping.
"You're right, I can't," Vanessa said, reaching out and grabbing Sophia's hands in hers. "Thank you," she said, blue eyes wide. Sophia's fingers twitched against her, and Vanessa impulsively leaned forward, planting a quick peck on the surprised brunette's cheek. "I want to know what happened in Santana Row," Vanessa said, serious, "But first, how about that ride?"
"I didn't bring any clothes for the ride," Sophia said, "But I have clothes for dinner, and tomorrow..." she trailed off, "I think you can ride in those, right?"
"We'll see," Vanessa replied, watching Sophia turn and head for the door. She had to suppress a sudden, wild urge to spank the other woman on her way out. Wasting no time gawking over the furnishings, Vanessa kept up Sophia's swift stride back the way they came, all the way to the entrance. From there, she headed around the building counter-clockwise, to the rear gardens.
Outside, the air was as fresh as Vanessa remembered. Seeing the paintings on the wall, one in particular of a blanket strewn in a grassy clearing, overlooking an uninhabited field of grapes and trees lining the distance set her imagination on fire. On a whim in college, she had taken horseback riding, first one summer and then a second time. Back then, friends had teased her that, "Zorro wasn't going to come rescue her," or that, "Sleeping Beauty did not need to be able to ride, only hold onto Prince Charming's broad chest." While following Sophia, she could hear a sudden braying sound, and her heart skipped a beat. Wiping her hands on her blue jeans, she hoped that the six years since her last class had not dulled her memory of what to do.
Hand crafted bushes lined the path around to the stable area, with very few flowers in bloom. Still, the air smelled sweet to Vanessa and she admired the well manicured pathway while striding confidently to the horses. She saw two standing there, held by a middle aged woman with blonde hair, darker than her own. She was dressed in riding pants, tanned hose with calf high black leather boots. Her long hair was unbound, and her gloved hands held the reins with a practiced ease. Closer to her, the brown horse had a placid look, his face content to watch the women approach with curiosity but nothing untowed. On the far side, a black stallion, with splashes of white along it's hind legs, looked more energetic and gave a whinny.
"There there, Raindrop," the older woman said, tugging the reins. "These women won't bite you, I'm sure." She looked at Sophia, then Vanessa and cocked her head to the side. "So, have you two ever ridden before?"
"Yes," the both said at once.
"Good. I'm Susan Happer, I manage the horses and other things around Churchhill," she said, gesturing to Vanessa to take the reins of the brown horse. "His name is Dainty," she said, smiling, "He won't bite, but he can be a bit lazy." She handed the reins of the other horse to Sophia, "As you probably heard me just now, this is Raindrop," Susan said, "He can be a handful sometimes, but usually, he's as gentle as an evening shower."
"The bags are packed, I take it?" Sophia asked, holding the reins and patting the horses neck. She held up a hand, and Raindrop smelled her for a moment, then made a soft nicker sound. He seemed calmer already.
"All packed and ready," Susan replied, looking speculatively at Vanessa and then back to Sophia. "Miss Smith and Miss Smith," she said, chuckling softly. "Be careful, if something happens, one of you stay with the horses, the other come back and we'll send help."
Reaching out, Sophia shook her hand and smiled warmly, "Thank you for preparing this, I appreciate it a lot." Vanessa saw the older woman's dark eyes widen slightly, looking back and forth between the two sexy young women. She cocked her head to the side, looking at them speculatively, then she smiled and walked back along the path, towards the stables proper.
Heart fluttering, the blonde took a deep breath, looking over at her long, brunette hair bound in a pony tail. She was getting used to the idea of being with such a thoughtful, romantic person and gave her a shy, friendly smile. Sophia winked at her in return and Vanessa felt her heart start beating faster.
"This is going to be a fun ride," Sophia said.
Epilogue
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The second installment of the Deception series, Volume Two: Seduction, is already finished and being revised. It will be published in the first week of November.
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