That Dark Place

by W. Franklin Lattimore

But this was different. To Mark, she was a respectable woman. She’d do anything for a man like that.

  She heard the soft plodding of shoes approach from the steps behind her.

  Instead of gripping the railing and anticipating his approach, she turned to face him. She was still unable to make words pass through her lips without losing the battle to tears. He would just have to see in her eyes how much she appreciated him.

  The look of concern on Mark’s face transitioned to a soft smile as he saw the meaning in her eyes.

  I shouldn’t love you, Mark. I can’t. We can’t.

  “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

  She continued to look him in the eyes as she felt a soft smile play at her lips.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and nodded twice to him.

  He walked up to her.

  She closed the remaining distance and wrapped her arms around him.

  “Thank you.”

  Chapter 55

  Z

  ach and Jamie exited the game store. They’d settled on a game they’d previously decided against. They hoped to be able to get lost in its Xbox Live world as they competed with others who’d bought the same game.

  “If this one is lame too, I’m placing full responsibility on you,” Jamie said.

  “If this one is lame, I’m quitting gaming altogether.”

  Jamie laughed. “Yeah. I can definitely see that happening.”

  “I wonder if Elizabeth is still at the business park. Do we check?”

  “Nuh-uh. I’m not going to be seen creeping on her. Not even going to ask about it.”

  “Probably smart.”

  “Yeah, I usually am.”

  Zach laughed.

  Ten minutes later, they were back at the Lawton home, ready to hunker down in the finished basement until time to eat.

  “That didn’t take you two as long as I thought,” Tara said.

  “Well, we’re athletes in top condition. What do you expect?” responded Jamie.

  “I expect I won’t see either of you until I shout down for you to come up for dinner. Are my expectations correct?”

  “Nailed it, Mom. You’re almost as smart as I am athletic.”

  Both of them laughed. Zach rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  BRENT CAME DOWN the stairs after showering and putting on some comfortable civilian clothes.

  Today, he had taken on traffic duties at an intersection close to the middle of downtown. A tractor-trailer had blown a tire and struck a telephone pole on which was mounted a transformer. As the pole came down, the transformer exploded, and the whole of downtown had lost power for most of the afternoon. In fact, repairs were still being conducted when Kimberly Townsend arrived at the intersection to relieve him.

  Officer Townsend, though, had never been assigned lengthy traffic-control duties before, especially during rush hour, so Brent spent some time training her. As he’d suspected, she was quick to learn the nuances of the work, and he’d left her to it.

  Wearing a dark blue uniform in the sunlight definitely had its downside. By the time he’d returned to the office to wrap up his report, all the other Pittston officers who’d been on traffic duty had returned to the station as sweaty messes. And Brent had been no exception.

  Now, though, he felt better. Much better.

  His stomach growled.

  Walking into the dining area where Tara sat, he said, “About that dinner expectation I have when I come home.…”

  Tara met his gaze with an Are-you-really-going-there? gaze of her own.

  Brent defensively put his hands in the air. “Wait, wait, wait … I meant to say that the longer I’m made to wait, the more I’ll enjoy the meal.”

  Tara’s eyes changed from “Oh, really?” to … something else.

  “Did you just insult my cooking? ‘Cause I think you did. You did, didn’t you? You just insinuated that you’d enjoy my food only if you’re hungry enough not to care what it tasted like. That’s what I heard, isn’t it?”

  Brent couldn’t help but belly laugh! “What?! You got all of that from my tiny comment about how much I desire your cooking?”

  Tara stared at him cynically for a moment, weighing whether or not to believe him.

  Finally, she said, “You just dodged a bullet, mister.”

  “Something I’ve become particularly good at since we first met.”

  Tara cracked a smile. “We definitely know how to push each other’s buttons.”

  “…and play them all off as simple ‘misunderstandings.’”

  “We’re good.”

  “We’ve got skills, woman.”

  Tara laughed and provided the household with one of her infamous snorts.

  Amy, outside in the backyard, called out, “Heard you, Mom!”

  That caused both Brent and Tara to laugh even harder.

  When they’d caught their breath, Brent said, “So, what is the latest on meal prep, if I’m allowed to ask?”

  Tara looked at the kitchen clock. It read 5:43. “I think we’re supposed to expect Elizabeth home in about forty-five minutes. I’ll text her to make sure.”

  “Where’s Kyla? In bed?”

  “No, Jenna took her for a walk around the neighborhood. You should see the two of them together. Jenna’s going to be a good mommy someday.”

  Brent’s heart warmed to the idea. “I’m sure you’re right.”

  Tara reached for her cell phone on the dining table. She sent a text to Elizabeth asking for an ETA.

  DREW WAS HYPNOTIZED by Elizabeth’s reaction to everything. He could see in her eyes that she was getting quite emotionally drawn toward him.

  She was back at the railing overlooking the creek, and he’d sat down at the bottom of the steps, knowing that he had to contain himself. At least for a little while longer.

  He took the opportunity to look at her from behind. She was absolutely beautiful in so many ways. Her heart was proving to be a far cry from the coy, tantalizing, unreserved girl he’d met online.

  It was making him somewhat uncomfortable that she wasn’t as shallow as her online persona had alluded to. He also realized that his own heart was being drawn toward hers.

  How was it that he was more comfortable with the idea of statutory rape than with the emotional reciprocation of her affections?

  He was thirty-seven years old. She was sixteen. And a twenty-one-year difference meant that he was already a full-fledged adult when she was born.

  Disconcerting. Exciting. Discouraging.

  Part of him, again, wanted to back out—just put an end to the pursuit.

  He could cut his losses right at that moment, and it would appear as though he had never meant for anything to evolve from the crossing of their paths, outside of a professional relationship.

  It was plain to see, though, that she wanted him.

  And he wanted her.

  The big question was, did she want him in the same way?

  Once again, Drew’s body was injecting into his bloodstream that powerful, self-made chemical, and it catapulted his desires to even greater heights.

  He could see, in everything from her body language to the look in her eyes, that she wanted the whole of who he was. At least the whole of what she perceived him to be.

  If she’d known his true intentions, who he really was….

  Drew was unsure of what to do: continue to manipulate things for his own satisfaction or bail on the entire idea? He knew, though, that there would not be another chance at this. This was his one opportunity to be with a minor. It would be his deepest fantasy fulfilled.

  What does she feel like under that top and skirt? Will she at least let me see? Would she allow me to take pictures?

  His cravings were almost too much to bear.

  Without turning from the water, Elizabeth spoke. “I don’t really know you, but I feel like I do. You’ve touched my soul.”

  Drew didn’
t—couldn’t—respond. He was unsure of what words would come out.

  “I’m nervous about this,” she said.

  Curiosity bit Drew like a coiled snake. He softened his tone. “Nervous about what?”

  “About two things,” she said. She turned around and dropped her eyes. “I’m nervous that you’ll find out who the real me is and that you’ll be disappointed. And I’m nervous about how close I want to be with you right now.”

  THE WORDS THAT passed through her lips terrified her. How would he respond?

  Slowly, she raised her eyes to meet his. He, too, looked unsure.

  “Elizabeth, I uhh….”

  Immediately, her heart sank. Oh, no. Here it comes. He’s going to tell me how inappropriate my words were.

  “I umm….” He cleared his throat. “You are maybe the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my entire life.”

  Elizabeth saw and felt two things simultaneously: Mark’s face did little to hide that he shouldn’t have said what he’d just said. And she felt a combined wave of relief and ecstasy course through her.

  She took a step forward, followed by another. She walked up to Mark as he sat on the step. Her heart was pounding so very hard, and her breathing had become so rapid and shallow that she thought she might faint again.

  She got to within a step of him and took a very big chance. She reached out her hands.

  Mark hesitated. But only for a moment. He reached out with his own and took them into his firm, kind grasp.

  They were warm and a bit damp. That he was nervous made her feel a little better. This was uncharted territory for them both.

  She gently pulled his hands toward her, and he responded by standing up and closing the gap between them.

  Elizabeth pulled his arms around her waist and pressed into him. Looking up at him, she willed Mark to lean down and kiss her.

  He did.

  His warm lips met hers, and she felt the strength leave her legs as she swooned.

  Mark caught her. “Are you all right?”

  It only took a moment for her to regain her strength and balance. She smiled.

  “I can’t believe you caused me to faint,” she said quietly. “Wow. What you do to me.”

  He looked deep into her eyes. It appeared that he was the one who was amazed.

  “Kiss me,” she said. “Kiss me again.”

  His right hand moved up along her back, into her hair, then to her neck. He pulled her urgently toward him and kissed her deeply.

  She couldn’t believe how intense everything felt—the kiss, her emotions, the firmness of his touch. All of it was everything she had ever fantasized her first real kiss could be.

  She allowed him to drink her in. She was now his because she wanted to be his.

  In this one moment, nothing else mattered.

  Elizabeth’s phone chimed.

  For a moment, the distraction brought her back to where she was and had her questioning who may have just sent the message. But she didn’t want things to stop. Not ever.

  With her lips, she began to feel Mark smile. But she pressed her lips more firmly against his.

  Somehow, though, he was still able to manage a sentence. “Need to get that?”

  His words came through almost like a mumble, but she’d understood each one.

  She, too, began to smile, then to laugh.

  The spell was broken. At least for the moment.

  She began to let go of him and discovered that she’d been on her tiptoes during the embrace. She slowly lowered herself.

  She sighed and walked back to the railing where she’d left her phone. “Sorry. I think I know who it is.”

  Elizabeth’s hands were visibly trembling as she lit up the phone and looked at the message. “It’s … my mom. Asking the ETA of my return home.”

  “Oh,” said Mark.

  Why’d you say that? Stupid! You sounded like a grade-school girl!

  “Hold on,” she said with noticeable exasperation. Her thumbs tapped the screen as she parsed her response: With a friend at work. She’s emotionally messed up right now. Going to talk for a while. Go ahead and eat without me. May be a while.

  Then she pressed the Send button.

  “I told her that I was still with a friend at work and to go on with dinner without me. I let her know that I may still be a while, as ‘you’ are still pretty emotionally distraught.”

  Mark chuckled. “You’d better come up with a good story as to why I was inconsolable.”

  “Good point.”

  Her phone chimed again.

  I hope everything turns out okay.

  I’ll say a quick prayer for her.

  Take your time, I’ll have a ready-made meal for you.

  She texted a reply—a thank-you for doing that and also for taking care of Kyla—and returned the phone to the rail.

  “I’m all yours again.”

  Chapter 56

  D

  rew had to process everything quickly.

  What was his next move? He became painfully aware that he hadn’t thought past getting her to the warehouse and to the rear of the building.

  What next? What next?

  He let his instincts drive him.

  After Elizabeth had returned the phone to her pocket and told him that she was all his again, he lifted both hands to receive hers. When she took them, he turned her around and sat her down on the bottom step.

  As she released his hands, he noticed how sitting so low had caused her already-short skirt to ride farther up her thighs. And it became rather apparent that his eyes had lingered there a moment or two too long when she abruptly pulled the hem of the skirt toward her knees.

  Embarrassed, he looked to her eyes for a reaction.

  He was surprised to see she was still smiling.

  “Sorry,” he said.

  “Oh, don’t feel too bad about it.”

  Again, his pulse quickened. It sounded as though she had backhandedly given him permission to notice her physical attributes.

  He smiled back, then sat down beside her, a step above.

  Instinct.

  Plotting.

  “Elizabeth, I … uhh … I think we need to change gears, here,” he said, followed by taking a deep breath and releasing it.

  “Oh,” she said, a bit of sadness touching her eyes.

  “This could really get out of hand.”

  She looked down to where her hands were still clutching the bottom of her skirt.

  “Yeah, I guess so.”

  “How about if we take some awesome photos? Then I could take you out for a bite to eat?”

  More disappointment on her face.

  “I guess that probably is for the best,” she said, not looking up.

  He got back up and crouched down before her.

  “Elizabeth, look at me.” She did. “If we were a little bit closer in age, I think I’d try to sweep you off your feet.”

  With his comment, he recognized a hint of online-Elizabeth ignite in her eyes. She revealed the beginnings of a playful smirk.

  “Are you saying I might have too much poundage for you?”

  He laughed. “Poundage?”

  “Oh, it’s a word; just ask me. I know, because I’m the one who created it.”

  Again, he laughed. “Poundage it is, then.”

  “So, you are saying I weigh too much. Got it.”

  “No! That’d be a horrible way to win a girl’s heart, wouldn’t it?” he responded. “I meant ‘sweep you off your feet’ figuratively.”

  She giggled.

  This girl was every bit his equal in banter skills. Maybe better.

  “I know.” It was her turn to take in and release a deep breath. “I’m just trying to adjust my emotions right now.”

  “Me too. My heart is still beating hard.”

  “Mine is too. May take a minute or two.”

  “So, how ‘bout
it? Some more photos?”

  “Does this mean I’ll get to see you again?” she asked, with renewed hope coming to her eyes.

  Mark deliberately paused on a response. He needed her to think he was truly deliberating. This had to be a one-and-done event for him, but she couldn’t know that.

  “I’m not sure it’d be wise, Elizabeth, considering how close we just came to.…” He let the sentence dangle.

  Almost too late to play off of what he was implying, she introduced both a fake southern accent and a look of shock. “Why, Mister Johnson, what kind of girl do you think I am?”

  He took her cue and lifted his right hand to his chest as he bowed his head. “Forgive me, Miss Scarlett.”

  “Who’s ‘Miss Scarlett’?”

  He looked up with a forlorn-looking grin. He’d blown the fun.

  “She—”

  “I’m playing. Jenna and I watched Gone with the Wind a few weeks back.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “You’re good.”

  “Why, thank you, sir.”

  “Who’s Jenna?”

  “Oh, my older sister.”

  “Ahh. What did you two think of it?”

  “A little long.”

  “It certainly is that.”

  Drew’s heartbeat was finally back to normal, and he supposed hers was as well.

  “Ready?”

  A nod of her head. “Ready.”

  Elizabeth gave him her left hand, which he took in his right and drew her up.

  The girl might only have been sixteen, but she presented a level of sophistication that he’d not often seen in women twice her age.

  IT WAS 6:50 P.M., and Tara stood in the kitchen. It was now spotless.

  They had wrapped up dinner, and Elizabeth still wasn’t home.

  Tara wasn’t exactly uneasy about her daughter’s absence; it was just out of the ordinary.

  She knew it was good for her to be developing friendships outside of the home, and the fact that she was spending time showing compassion to a coworker was all the better.

  I should have at least asked her name. Is it someone we know? Someone new?

  She whispered another of the promised prayers for the girl … or woman?