“They ran?” His face showed total disbelief. “No get away car? No get away driver? Did the police look at the bank official with the wandering wife? Listen, I want to believe there is treasure on my land. I mean, who doesn’t? The idea of finding money that you didn’t even know existed is, for lack of a better word, awesome. But you don’t have enough to convince me to give you that amount of money.”
He leaned toward her. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, though. I think you would have a good time coming out to Silver Creek. Perhaps I can talk you into coming for dinner, maybe tonight? Or tomorrow? Where are you staying?”
Autumn didn’t want to tell him she didn’t have a hotel room yet. Her plan was to meet him, take the money and head back to Pueblo where she lived.
“Mr. Hollis, I appreciate the offer, but I’m not here about anything sexual.” She waved the letter at him. “I want fifty thousand dollars for the letter, and for my research.”
“I thought you said the letter was free,” he said. He grinned sheepishly.
“You know what I mean,” she said. “Listen, Mr. Hollis, this letter is the best thing I’ve ever found during my career.”
“Your career?” he asked. “What exactly do you do for a living, Autumn?”
“I was a journalist, but well, things are slow in that area now,” she said. “I worked for a newspaper. I got a little bit of a severance package when the paper closed. Now, I’m a close to forty-year-old woman who finds items to sell to my cousin for his antique store.”
“And you do it by buying storage units that are default,” he said.
“Sometimes,” she said. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“So, you work for your cousin?”
“I freelance for him,” she said. “I paid for the storage unit out of my own pocket.”
“Does he know you’re here?”
“In the land of handcuffs and casinos? Um, that would be a no.” She shook her head, feeling as if she’d failed, yet again.
“Where does he think you are?” he asked.
“Reno,” she said. “I told him I knew of an auction tomorrow and I wanted to go down and get a head start.”
“That’s some ways from home,” he said.
Autumn didn’t answer him.
“Answer me this question,” he said. “How much money do you really think is buried on my land?”
“Quite a bit,” she said.
“Enough to cover my fifty thousand,” he said. He sounded intrigued, and that made her happy.
“Yes,” she said.
They were silent for what seemed like forever. “Come to dinner at the Creek,” he said. “Better yet, we have cabins for rent. I can put you up in one for free, and we can go over your research. Then I can make a decision about your plan.”
Oh, things were looking up again. Autumn turned to him. “You might actually give me the money?”
“Autumn, fifty thousand is a huge amount, not something that I can get my hands on just by snapping my fingers.” He held up a finger to indicate there was a but attached to that sentence. “I have partners, and I want to discuss this with them before we make a decision. I want them to meet you. If you really want to continue with this you need to come with me to Silver Creek, and we can figure out what to do from there.”
It all sounded good, but how did she know what would happen if she went with him to his BDSM resort?
“I’m not planning on whipping you for dinner and then strapping you to a St. Andrew’s Cross for dessert,” he said. “If you want a chance at the fifty-thousand-dollars you’re asking for, this is the only way you’re going to get even close to it.”
“You’re not making it easy on me,” Autumn said.
“You have my offer. Take it, or leave it.”
She really didn’t have much choice. “Okay, take me to the Creek.”
“I will,” he said. “I just have one more question. Is your cousin’s name Pumpkin, too?”
They left the small town of Hollis Creek and traveled on a paved road for about fifteen minutes, and then it disappeared. There was a sign announcing the entrance to the resort.
They traveled a little farther down the road and came to a gate. She pulled to a stop behind Shawn’s truck. He got out to open the gate, and she found it interesting that there wasn’t a clicker to the job.
Once they were on the other side, and driving again, Autumn wondered how far off the road they would travel before they came to the resort.
You would have to be far off the beaten path, Autumn thought, so you could make your submissives scream and no one would call the police.
She tightened her grip on the steering wheel. Why would someone want to have the type of sex that would make you scream? Screaming in pleasure was one thing, but from pain?
As she considered one person’s desires pitted against another’s, she remembered her mother making fun of Trey’s antique shop. “Why would he want all of that trash in his store?”
“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” Autumn had said. “You collect troll dolls, remember?”
“I collect dolls,” her mother had answered. “Just a few of them are trolls.”
“One person’s trash,” Autumn said, and they had both laughed.
While Autumn enjoyed the hunt in finding what some people might consider treasures, she didn’t understand the fascination with BDSM. Why would you enjoy something that caused pain? It just didn’t make sense.
She had to admit when she’d done the records search in the land office and figured out where the money was hidden, then searched out the name and found the Silver Creek Resort, she’d thought it would be easy to be on the land and search for herself.
But then she’d gone to the resort’s website and been greeted with a page she hadn’t expected to see: This site is for persons 18 years of age and older.
Being of age, she’d clicked on the enter site, where she’d been asked to put in her birthdate. After that, she’d been greeted by the photo of a large bullwhip crossed with a riding crop. She’d backed out of the site quickly and stared at the search screen.
She’d left the computer and went to the box. Before she’d sold the books, she’d searched through them to make sure there hadn’t been any information related to the envelope, and she’d found nothing.
The books, the envelope and the paper with the coordinates on it. That had been the only thing there. Hopefully that was all they would need. After her search she’d gone back to the computer and delved deeper into the site. It was quite expensive to spend a week there. There were several options. Singles could come and find company with one, or two subs or doms. Couples could come to use a cabin. All the cabins were equipped with dungeons.
There had been a photo of one, and the objects she’d seen had made Autumn gasp. There was no way she would allow someone to slap a riding crop against her ass.
As an experiment, she’d gone to the ‘Book a Stay’ page. She’d tried several different dates to see they were heavily booked. Obviously, Silver Creek was a popular resort.
She’d nixed the idea of going in undercover in a heartbeat. There was no way she would be able to find a way into the wilds on her own without raising suspicion in the owners, especially the man riding in the truck in front of her.
Shawn had accepted her tale much easier than she thought he would. Of course, that didn’t mean they would be able to convince his partners to help them search. Unless they were greedy. The amount of money taken from the bank robbery was significant. Neither the letter nor the newspaper articles, mentioned an amount, but the police report had. It was an amount that had made Autumn gasp. If Autumn had been the robber, she would have thought she was set for life.
She rethought her idea of selling them the information for the fifty thousand. Maybe she’d get more than fifty thousand. The idea was incredible. When she’d been planning this, she’d thought about what she’d be able to do with fifty thousand dollars. If she lived frug
ally, she would be able to pay her rent, buy food, clothes, books.
But if they found more than what the report listed? How much would a bank have on hand in 1964? Enough to make a robbery worthwhile. Autumn hated living paycheck to paycheck, wondering where money was going to come from, of if a storage unit was going to yield something good, or cause her to lose money, as this storage unit had done.
They topped a cliff, and in the deep valley below them, Autumn saw a large, two-story house that looked like it could house several dozen people. Dotted around the house, at distances she thought would provide privacy, were at least a dozen cabins.
One thing was for sure, Shawn and his buddies did not need the money. Maybe, just maybe, she would go on an adventure, find the money on her own, and leave them holding the bag.
Chapter 2
Autumn parked next to Shawn’s truck and got out of her vehicle. The first thing she noticed was that there weren’t that many electrical wires overhead. That meant they probably used generators for their power. This place was more than off the beaten path; it was off the grid.
The buildings were made of logs and glass, which gave the place a very rustic, yet sleek look. She glanced up at the top floor. The floor to ceiling windows showcased a dining room, or at least that’s what she thought it was. Scantily clad women were setting tables.
“What goes on downstairs?” she asked.
“Business,” Shawn answered. “My partners are there, waiting for us. I called while we were driving. Let’s go inside and speak with them. If you want to stay, we’ll find you a free cabin. If not, I’ll escort you back to town.”
All of a sudden, going into the house where she would be outnumbered didn’t seem like a great idea. If something went wrong here there was no one she could contact.
“You look like I’m pointing a gun at you,” Shawn said. “If you want me to guide you back to Hollis Creek I can do that.”
Autumn wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted. “I just didn’t expect to be here today.”
“You’re feeling nervous,” he said. “Lots of first-timers experience that.”
He was smiling at her, in a very cocky way that made her shake her head and smile.
“Tonight, is steak night,” he said. “Our chef is incredible. He makes the best food this side of the Rockies. For dessert he makes cheesecake, plain, old fashioned cheesecake that is delicious.”
Autumn’s mouth watered. “It does sound good.”
“Then let’s go inside and speak with Ethan and Randy. They are my partners, and I can’t dig for treasure without them.”
He indicated she should walk in front of him, but Autumn stayed in place.
“Something else bothering you?” he asked. “We’re not going to tie you to the dining room chair—unless the idea intrigues you. If it does, it can be arranged.”
Damn, he was too sexy for words. The grin on his face made her nipples hard. She needed to divert the talk away from being tied to a chair.
“Will there be mushrooms with the steak?”
No, no, no! The grin widened, as if he knew what she was doing, and her nipples grew tight.
“I’m sure that can be arranged.” He pointed toward the house.
“Garlic butter sauce?”
He took a step toward her. “That’s one of my favorites, too.” He licked his lips. “It would mix wonderfully with the salty taste of skin. Of course, we’d have to make sure it was not very hot.” His gaze dropped to her chest. “That would hurt those delicious marbles under your shirt.”
“Marbles?” she said with a laugh. “They’re not—oh, never mind.”
She sidestepped him and started toward the house, or was it a lodge? It looked like a lodge. And right now, a man that could make a stone statue wet stepped out of the front door.
“Hey, I’m Ethan, and you are?”
“She’s with me,” Shawn said.
“I didn’t know we were expecting a new guest today,” Ethan said. “Forgive me for not being ready. I don’t recall looking over your application.”
“That’s because she didn’t fill one out.” Shawn was on his way up the stairs. “She’s here to offer us money, and not by renting a cabin.”
“All right,” Ethan said. “I love money. But if you’re not renting a cabin, how are you offering us money?”
“We’ll explain it over dinner.” Shawn stopped at the top of the stairs. “I think Scarlet is empty, right?”
“Yeah, it is,” Ethan said.
“Have one of the maids dust and get it ready for Autumn—Autumn Pumpkin.”
The way he said it made it sound like Bond, James Bond, and Autumn rolled her eyes at Ethan.
Before she could respond, Shawn said. “Don’t ask her if her name is really Pumpkin. I’ve already carded her, and it really is.”
“Wow,” Ethan said. “Well, in that case let me show you to your cabin and I’ll tell Jake there will be one more for dinner. So, how do you like your steak cooked, Ms. Pumpkin? I’m looking forward to hearing about why you’re here.” Ethan wiggled his eyebrows and Autumn wondered if she would make it through dinner without having an orgasm. If the third partner, Randy was as, well randy, as Shawn and Ethan. If the three of them threw innuendos at her all night long she wouldn’t make it to dessert.
That could be a bad thing, because she wasn’t into the type of sex these men enjoyed. She needed to keep her cool. She climbed the steps quickly and went inside without being asked. She was right about the place being sleek. There was a large fireplace on one side, and the furniture in the cavernous room was leather and wood.
There was no sign of any sort of BDSM equipment, but Autumn wasn’t sure what she expected, chains hanging on the walls or a torture wheel near the desk?
“Scarlet is one of the closest cabins to the main building,” Ethan said. His phone rang, and he pulled it from his jeans pocket. His eyebrows crinkled as he examined the screen. “I’m afraid Shawn is going to have to show you to your cabin. Something has come up. Dinner is at seven. Please be punctual.”
That was the first thing they’d said that could be considered trying to dominate her, telling her she had to be on time. She considered making sure she showed up five minutes late, but that might not be the best way to start off a business deal.
“Where’s Randy?” Shawn asked.
“He’s in Vegas,” Ethan replied. He held up his phone. “He didn’t say why, just that he wouldn’t be back for a few days.”
“Interesting,” Shawn said. “Could it be something to do with the rabbit hole?”
Autumn wasn’t sure what that meant, but she was sure she shouldn’t ask. It sounded incredibly personal. Neither of them responded, and Autumn coughed into her hand.
“Come on, Autumn, I’ll show you to your cabin,” Shawn said. “Give Ethan your keys and he’ll have a sub bring in your luggage.”
“A sub?” She knew she didn’t like the sound of that. “It’s not really luggage, just one duffle bag. I can bring it in.”
“It’s the way we do things,” Ethan said. “We’d rather not rock the boat.”
Autumn took her keys from her jeans pocket and tossed them to Ethan, who caught them easily.
Ethan headed for the stairs, and Shawn pointed her to the back door. “This way.”
They exited onto a deck with lots of outdoor furniture. All of the tables had umbrellas, and Autumn thought about sitting in this wonderful place, drinking iced tea and reading a book.
“This is very green for being a desert area,” she said.
“Were semi-arid. Fake grass is great for this area,” Shawn said. He stared down the stairs. There were several golf carts parked near the deck. “It’s not far to Scarlet, we can walk.”
“Do all the cabins have names?” she asked as she fell into step beside him.
“Yes, they do,” he said. “Scarlet, Daisy, Pearl, Brett, Abigail, you get the picture.”
“Um, not really,” she said. But then she snapped he
r fingers. “Wait, they are fictional characters that were not so nice.”
“Characters that needed a good spanking,” he said.
“Your cabin is Scarlett, the world’s most famous Southern Belle.”
She waited for him to finish the sentence. But when he didn’t she did it for him. “She could have used a good spanking, to correct her attitude.”
“Yes, that cabin is used for ladies who like to be taken over someone’s knee,” Shawn said.
“Their desire to be spanked would come out on the form they have to fill out,” she said.
“Exactly,” he said. “People discover themselves here. Some enjoy it, some don’t and find out it’s not exactly what they thought it would be and want to leave before their booked time is over. If that happens we offer them a full refund.”
That was a good idea, Autumn thought. She hadn’t noticed that part during her surfing.
“I noticed on your website that you’re busy here,” she said.
“We stay booked,” he said. They’d only walked about ten minutes when he turned down a path. The cabin was larger than what she’d expected, but then she remembered that each cabin had multiple bedrooms and baths, a private hot tub and, what most people probably found most intriguing, a fully-stocked dungeon.
The door was open, and when they went inside, Autumn saw a woman dressed in a French maid’s uniform that barely covered her breasts and tush. She was running a vacuum cleaner.
When they came inside she turned it off and curtsied. “I’m sorry, Master Shawn, I didn’t expect you so quickly.”
“It’s all right, Rosa,” he said. “This is a rush job, and you’re doing well.”
Up close, Autumn could see the woman was in her thirties, and when they looked at each other, Rosa smiled and said hello.
“Hi,” Autumn said.
“X is on her way with the bags,” Rosa said. “Shall I change the sheets in the master bedroom? I can clean the dungeon, too.”
Buried Treasure (Silver Creek Resort Book 1) Page 2