Seductive Truths (Seductive Trilogy) (4 page)

     A few footsteps later, the clicking of the latch and the door flung open.  There stood Zoe, phone plastered to her ear, (so no man actually physically present), and a smile ready to greet her visitor, which rapidly disappeared when she took in my appearance.

    
‘
Mark, got to go, I’ll call you back,
’
and before “Mark”
had time to reply, he and the phone were forgotten.

    
‘
Oh.  My.  God!  What happened to you?  Come in before you get a chill.
’
  And I was ushered into the warmth of her flat.

    
‘
I think I can safely say I’ve gone past chill.
’

    
‘
What are you doing here?  I thought you were meant to be enjoying a lovely, romantic night in with your fiancé?  Never mind, you can tell me later.  First we need to get some warmth back into you.  Come, follow me.
’




     The warmth of the water lapped at my body, slowly massaging heat back into my tired muscles while the fresh, fragrant passion fruit scented shampoo eased my troubled mind.

    However, it wasn’t long before my thoughts started to wander to matters of the mysterious note, specifically focusing on the possibility of who was behind it.  Who could have sent such a message?  Why send it in the first place?  What’s the purpose behind the words?    

     It had to be a man, surely.  An educated man if the use of
“
Xanthippe
”
is anything to go by.  I didn’t even know what it meant until I looked it up.  The aromatic scents that seemed to be woven into the grains of the paper lead me believe he was a man with expensive tastes.  He either had the money to afford such luxuries or imitated a man living that life.  The hypnotic rhyming rhythm of the poem had me imagining hands playing a musical tune across my naked flesh, each touch hitting the right c
h
ord to produce the magical sounds he desired to hear.

     Did he have dark hair, long enough to run my fingers through causing him to beg for more and brown orbs that radiated naked desire?  Or was he angelic blonde with piercing blue
pools– the façade of an angel with a hunger of the devil inside – itching to escape from his chains?

     Is he tall and handsome with the physique of a Greek god and the strength of ten thousand men?  Or is he short and fat with only the power of his words to torment me?

     Are his lips soft to the touch and would envelop mine in silk?  Or are they coarse and chapped and would sear my tender flesh with the lightest of touches?

     Is his voice smooth, sweet and soft, like hot honey being trickled onto the burning nakedness of my stomach, as he murmurs his aim into my ear, leaving me weak and mellow inside?  Or is his voice rough and scratchy from years of smoking and drinking as he whispers his desire that would leave me feeling dirty and wanton?

     Whoever he was, he had already caused too much trouble for my liking.  I was used to safe and stable; it’s what I am comfortable with.  However, the more I conjured up images of his possible features, the more I wanted to see them come to fruition.




     Hair up in a hand towel and my body wrapped in a warm, comforting dressing gown, I was about to exit the bathroom when I heard Zoe talking to someone.  As I placed my ear to the door, there was a deep, rich, baritone voice that accompanied hers.

     Curiosity getting the better of me, I quietly opened the door a crack and peeped through.  All I was able to see was part of Zoe’s face and the guy’s back.  With the door slightly opened and the conversationalists in view, I was advantageously placed to better hear their conversation unobserved.

    
‘
I’m sorry Mark, but you can’t stay tonight.
’
  So this was “
Mark
”
, Zoe’s mysterious guy. 
‘
I have to take care of my friend.
’

    
‘
What
friend
?  Male?  Female?
’
the
implied
accusation wasn’t hard to miss.           

    
‘
Don’t be silly, Mark,
’
Zoe nervously laughed, the only indication she was afraid of this man. 
‘
It’s only Alex, my
female
best friend.
’

    
‘
Alex?  Alex Brown?
’

    
‘
Yes?
  How do you know her name?
’

    
‘
Oh, well, erm, you’re always talking about her.
’
 

     As my name passed his lips, I was overcome by an unfamiliar sensation.  A sensation I wasn’t entirely comfortable with.  Fear and fire coursed through my body.  Simultaneously I wanted to run away and place his hand on my burning core. 

     He was at least six-foot, with broad shoulders and slender but muscular legs from the looks of them encased in jeans; his arms appeared the same.  Forearms toned and covered in fine hair.  Strangely, my body screamed to be held by them - to be captured and explored.

     A quick glance at his head had led me to believe he had brown hair, but on closer observation, it was more dirty blonde, floppy and straight. 

    
‘
Yeah, she came here soaked to the bone.  She’s currently in the bathroom.
’

     Mark abruptly turned in my direction.  If i
t weren’t for my quick reaction
s, I would have been discovered.

     My heart thumped, bashing against the walls of my body like a caged beast.  I became hot and feverish; blood rushing to my cheeks and the tips of my ears.  I was burning up and the pulse at my neck grew rapid and drowned out the conversation the other side of the door.

     Once I was able to regain control of my faculties, I turned to leave the bathroom - Mark or no Mark – no unknown person could have such an effect on me, it was all in my head.

     I opened the door slightly and peeped through; no one was there.  Stepping out into the hallway I heard shuffling in the kitchen.  I was about to make my way into the spare room when Zoe came walking into view with two cups of steaming hot chocolate in her hands.

    
‘
I thought you could do with something warm.
’

     I smiled as she handed me a cup. 
‘
Thanks.
’
  It was more than warm; it burnt my tongue and scorched my throat, but none the less, perfect; just what I needed.

    
‘
I heard you were talking to someone…
’

    
‘
That was Mark.  I was on the phone to him earlier when you appeared.  To be honest, I don’t know why he came round.  Probably got jealous and…
’

    
‘
I take it he’s the same Mark you were doodling over and thought wasn’t going to get in touch again?
’

    
‘
One and the same.
’

    
‘
So, what changed?
’

    
‘
Nothing that I know of.  He just phoned me out of the blue and later turned up while you were having a bath.  But the
weirdest
thing happened,
’
she frowned in contemplation. 
‘
I mentioned your name and he came over all…odd.  I can’t describe how; wasn’t a major change, just odd.  Then he left without a word.
’
  For a moment she stared off into space.

     Next minute she was back to her jovial self. 
‘
Bet it was nothing; just my tired mind playing tricks.  Not surprising considering how late it is; nearly three in the morning.  Speaking of time, what was it that brought your drenched person to my door?
’

    
‘
Well…
’
and I went on to explaining the argument between William and I and my jumble
d emotions, which led to a few “
cry on the shoulder
”
moments and comforting words from Zoe.

    
At
ten past four I dragged myself off to bed.  Shattered and emotionally drained, I collapsed onto the soft mattress; my head cushioned in the comfiest pillow and I cocooned myself in the silky, red duvet.  It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.




     Blackness. 

    
Everywhere I looked it was there.  I couldn’t see.  The atmosphere was
freezing
yet I was on fire.  It was as if I was in a furnace, but my breath was as cold as ice.  The silence was deafening.  I was alone with only distant voices to keep me company.

     A ghost of a touch burnt my skin; seared my flesh, branding me as their own; I was now their property and answered to them only; to respond only to their call of passion.

     Then power, importance and dominance appeared in the form of a masculine hand; guided by the sparkle of the pinkie finger to a destination unknown.

     A build-up of sweat, tension and the uncontrollable lust
to go that little bit further, the need to consume everything in sight.
 
There was an overpowering
desire
to go beyond the boundaries of ecstasy.

     Through the darkness emerged the silhouette of a face - a masculine face.  Then in the blink of an eye, a pair of eyes came into focus, but a second later they were gone.  In that short space of time I wasn’t able to distinguish anything about them, but there was one emotion that pierced my soul - one emotion that ripped me to the very core and left me naked to explore.  An animalistic hunger ready to devour me; the aim to leave nothing untouched - everything had to be owned by him.  

     Four words were all it took to chill me to the bone.  Four simple words f
illed with a terrifying meaning,
f
our words th
at woke me from my fitful dream.

     ‘
You
will
be mine.
’

     It felt like a premonition rather than a dream, but it was those four words that cut me to the quick. 

    
‘
You will be mine,
’
I whispered back into the darkness.          

     I woke to the soft melody of Eva Cassidy playing from the living room.  Beats the heavy rock music Zoe used to insist on waking me up with when she went through her punk rock phase.

     A few seconds later, Zoe materialised with a cup of steaming coffee in one hand.

    
‘
Morning sleeping beauty, how’re you feeling?
’

     She placed the coffee onto the desk then sat down beside me.  I shuffled over to look at her.

    
‘
As rough as hell,
’
I groaned.

     She chuckled. 
‘
I thought as much.  I took the trouble of phoning the boss for you and explaining.
’

    
‘
Thanks.  What did you say?
’

    
‘
Told him you had serious period pains and you were literally gushing.
’

    
‘
Nice one!
’

    
‘
Needless to say he’d rather not know anymore and said he’ll see you tomorrow.  It’s great having a male boss.
’

    
‘
At times like these it is.
’

    
‘
Unfortunately I do not have your luxury this morning, so I better get going otherwise I’ll be late.
’

    
‘
Okay.  Thanks for the coffee.
’

    
‘
No problem.  Hope you feel more like yourself later.  Feel free to use what you like.
’

    
‘
Thanks.
’

    
‘
Bye hun,
’
and she got up and strode out of the room.