The Incubus, Succubus and Son of Perdition Box Set: The Len du Randt Bundle (2 page)

Justin tightened
his embrace and then suddenly pulled her away and looked at the corner of the
room.

‘What’s wrong?’
Rebecca asked and tried to see what he was looking at. She saw nothing out of
the ordinary.

‘Nothing,’
Justin said and kissed her again. This time, the face of the lovely
receptionist flashed through his mind. Justin flinched, but continued kissing
his wife. Another image flashed though his mind; this time that of the figure
standing in the middle of the road. Justin pulled back and stared at the corner
of the room again. He couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them.

‘Are you okay?’
Rebecca asked; worried that it might be something that she was doing wrong.

‘I’m...okay,’
Justin said. He sighed and then turned over to his side with his back against
Rebecca. ‘I can’t do this,’ he said.

Rebecca wondered
what caused her husband to lock up like that. He never turned his back on her
before. ‘What’s wrong, Love?’ she asked and gently wrapped her arm around him.

‘Nothing,’
Justin said. ‘Just leave it, okay?’

Rebecca bit her
lip. Her heart bounced around in her chest. She looked at her husband for a
moment longer and then turned off the bedside lamp next to her. A few seconds
later, Justin pressed the button next to him and the entire room went black.

*    -    -   
-    *

‘Another hole in
one?’ Justin asked, bewildered that his wife had such a keen sense of miniature
golf. ‘That’s the third one in a row now.’

Rebecca did a
little twirl with her putter. ‘Are you ready to give up yet?’

‘Never!’ Justin
shouted in an over-dramatic voice. ‘You won’t take me alive!’

Her mouth twisted
into a sly grin. ‘Then prepare to die.’

They whacked it
out over the last few holes of the game, and finally, a humbled husband had to
admit defeat to his wife. Through the jokes and laughter something bothered
Justin. He wondered how he would be able to apologize to his wife without
bringing up the subject of the previous evening. He realized that talking to
her about it was inevitable, and sooner or later, he would have to face the
music.

‘What should we
do now?’ she asked.

Justin looked
around.
Go-carts would have been great. Stupid maintenance.
‘I don’t
know,’ he said. ‘Maybe we should go for a swim.’

Rebecca’s eyes
lit up. ‘Heated pools?’

‘Sure,’ he said.
‘Why not?’

They followed
the footpath hand-in-hand until they reached their cabin. It took them twenty
minutes to get dressed and walk up another path until they reached the massive,
heated swimming pools.

‘Gonna join me?’
Justin asked as they stood on the edge of the pool.

‘In a moment,’
she said. ‘I just want to sit down for a minute or two first. You go ahead,
okay?’

‘Is everything
all right?’ Justin asked. ‘Are you okay? You look a little pale, baby.’

Rebecca nodded
faintly.

‘You really
don’t look too good, Baby,’ he said and pressed his hand against her forehead.
‘You’re burning up.’

‘I’ll be fine,’
she said and smiled weakly at him. ‘I just need to sit down for a while.’

Justin frowned.
‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I think I should take you back to the cabin.’

‘No,’ she
protested. ‘I’ll be fine in a minute. Really. Go, swim so long. I’ll be right
with you.’

He ignored her
and helped her to her feet. ‘Let’s get you into bed,’ he said and gently helped
her down the path to their cabin.

‘I don’t want to
ruin the weekend,’ Rebecca said as Justin tucked her into bed.

‘Nonsense,’ he
said. ‘Just try and get some rest while I make you a nice cup of tea, okay?’
She nodded, but Justin doubted that she registered anything he said to her. He
waited until her eyes were closed before he left the room to boil some water.
When he returned with her tea, she was fast asleep. He placed the cup down next
to her on the bedside table and picked up his novel. He then lay down next to
her, and three turns and one pillow fluffing later continued with the story.
Justin read for most of the afternoon before taking a half an hour nap after
which he read some more.

‘Justin...?’
Rebecca said softly when she woke up.

‘Yes, baby?’

‘I...I have to
prepare dinner...’

Justin put down
the novel and walked around to her side of the bed. He touched her forehead and
frowned. The fever showed no sign of breaking. ‘Stay in bed,’ he said. ‘I’ll
get us something to eat from the restaurant. What would you like?’

She didn’t
answer. She merely smiled and then closed her eyes. Within seconds she was
asleep again. Justin switched off the lights and closed the bedroom door. He
took some money from Rebecca’s purse, locked the door and headed for the
restaurant.

*    -    -   
-    *

The waiter
behind the counter looked up when he saw Justin approaching. ‘Good evening,
sir,’ he said politely. ‘What would you like to order?’

Justin eyed the
menu. They didn’t have too much money to splash around, but Justin figured that
given his current situation, it was better to ask for forgiveness than
permission.

‘I think I’ll
have the steak,’ he said.

‘Excellent
choice, sir. How would you like it done?’

‘Medium,’ Justin
said. ‘Thanks.’

With rice, baked
potato, or fries?’

‘Baked potato
would be fine.’

‘Anything to
drink with that, sir?’

Justin sighed.
Do
you think I can have my food now?
‘Just a soda water, thank you.’

‘Eat here or
take away?’

‘Take away.’ He
wanted to be with Rebecca. In case she woke up and needed him.

‘Would that be
all?’

Justin bit his
lip and then exhaled slowly. ‘That would be all,’ he confirmed. ‘Thank you.’

 The waiter
took the menu and left Justin to his thoughts. He was worried about Rebecca. If
he only knew what was wrong, he could perhaps get her some medication. He felt
small and powerless; incapable of helping her with whatever bug she had picked
up. The thought of hospital bills sent a shiver down his spine.

A human-like
creature invisible to the eye stood beside Justin and placed its claw on his
shoulder. The figure leaned forward and bought its mouth close to Justin’s ear.

Look up
.

Justin looked up
and his stomach flipped when he saw the beautiful receptionist, sitting alone
at a table. The elegant evening dress was a sharp contrast to the denim she
wore the previous afternoon when they arrived.

‘Excuse me,’
Justin said and motioned for a waiter.

‘Is everything
all right, sir?’ the waiter asked.

Justin nodded.
He then indicated at the receptionist. ‘Do you see that girl over there?’

The waiter
looked at where Justin was hinting. ‘Megan?’

Justin flinched
and motioned for the waiter to lower his voice. ‘Her name is Megan?’

‘Yes, sir,’ the
waiter said.

‘Is she here on
a date?’

‘No,’ the waiter
said. ‘She always eats here. Staff account.’

‘So she’s
alone?’

‘She and her
fiancé split up about three weeks ago.’

‘Thank you,’
Justin said and dismissed the waiter. He looked at Megan, almost hypnotized by
her beauty. Justin swallowed hard to try and get rid of the lump in his throat,
but it didn’t help. His pulse raced and he could feel his heart beating loudly
in his chest.

Go to her
.

Although Justin
couldn’t consciously hear the voice, he still obeyed it.

‘Hi,’ he said
when he finally reached the table she was sitting at. ‘I couldn’t help but
notice that you’re alone, and was wondering if you would like to have some
company.’

Megan looked up
and smiled. ‘Sure,’ she said.

He thanked her
and sat down, then extended his hand toward her. ‘I’m Justin,’ he said.

‘Green as in the
colour, but with an
e
, right?’

Justin chuckled.
She remembers!
‘That’s me,’ he said. ‘And you are...?’

‘Megan,’ she
said and shook his hand.

‘Pleased to meet
you, Megan.’

‘Likewise,’ she
said. She stole a quick glance around the room. ‘Where’s your wife?’

‘She...she’s
feeling a little under the weather,’ he said. ‘So I decided to rather let her
rest while I got myself something to eat here.’

‘I’m sorry,’
Megan said. ‘Do you know what’s wrong?’

‘Nope,’ Justin
said and shrugged. ‘But I’m hoping that she will feel better by tomorrow.’

‘We do have some
emergency medical supplies,’ she said. ‘Let me know if there’s anything that I
could do to help.’

‘I will,’ Justin
said. ‘Thanks.’
Oh wow! You’re stunning!
There was a moment of silence
that could have turned awkward if Justin kept quiet. ‘So what’s a nice lady
like you doing alone in a place like this?’ he asked.

‘Staff account,’
she said.

‘Ah,’ Justin
said and nodded knowingly. ‘Best reason in the world.’

A waiter brought
Megan her order of Calamari and onion rings.

‘I ordered a
steak and a soda water to go,’ Justin said. ‘I think I’ll have it here,
please.’

‘No problem at
all, Sir,’ he assured Justin.

‘That is if the
lady doesn’t mind,’ he said and winked at Megan.

‘Not at all,’
she said.

‘Could we also
have a bottle of wine?’ Justin asked the waiter before he could stop himself.
‘Something red and sweet.’

The waiter
nodded.

‘What’s the
occasion?’ Megan asked once the waiter left.

Justin thought
for a moment. ‘New friendships,’ he said. He had been sober for five years
since vowing to never drink again.
Not going to start now,
he thought.
Just
a glass or two during dinner, that’s all.

‘So what do you
do for a living, Mister Greene, with an
e
?’

Justin didn’t
want to spoil the mood by telling her that he was jobless, so instead opted for
the little white lie. ‘I run my own computer business,’ he said.

She smiled,
showing off her perfect teeth. ‘I’m impressed, Mr. Greene.’

Justin’s steak
arrived and the two of them wined and dined for almost an hour. One bottle
turned to two, and before long, Justin’s head was spinning.

‘Want to come
back to my place?’ Megan asked after they finished the bottle.

‘I can’t...’

Go with her
, the voice instructed.

‘...see why
not,’ Justin said and raised his hand to beckon the waiter. He paid for both
meals and both bottles of wine and realized that he would have some heavy duty
explaining to do in the morning.

‘Great,’ Megan
said. There was the slightest hint of a slur in her speech. ‘I could use the
company tonight.’

They both left
the restaurant together and the sudden fresh air only made Justin’s head spin
even faster. Justin almost took the path back to his cabin, but Megan playfully
tugged at his arm.

‘This way,’ she
said and hooked her arm into his. Arm-in-arm, the two made their way toward her
cabin.

*    -    -   
-    *

By the time they
reached Megan’s cabin, Justin’s head felt like it was bobbing around inside a
tumble dryer. Just before reaching the door, Justin stumbled and Megan caught
him. He hung his arms around her shoulders for support and they both giggled at
his antics.

‘This is me,’
Megan said and there was a moment of silence as Justin tried to read her body
language to see what it was that she wanted of him. Did she want him to return
to his own bungalow? No. Her warm smile and inviting posture told him that she
wanted quite the opposite.

‘So, Mister
Greene with an
e
,’ she said and hooked her arms around his shoulders.
‘Do you want to come in?’

Justin’s heart
bounced around furiously in his chest. ‘I don’t know if that is such a good
idea...’

She ignored him
and instead nibbled softly on his ear.

Justin’s legs
weakened. She smelled lovely; sweet and innocent, yet mature and irresistible
at the same time.

Kiss her,
the invisible creature whispered into his ear. In the spiritual
realm, little imp-like demons danced and twirled around the two.
Kiss her!
The
demons danced faster and faster as they hissed suggestions of lust and desire.