The air around me is still thick with that intoxicating scent and it seems to be directly connected to my nipples, which are dart tight and ready to penetrate through the front of my thrift store pink cashmere sweater.
What is happening to me?
On a deep breath, I pull my shoulders back and outstretch my arm, cell phone in hand, as I walk toward Dalton.
“Here you go. Let the games begin.” I place my cell in his upturned palm as he nods.
“May the odds be ever in your favor, Miss Anderson.” His reply takes me aback, it’s the first sign of any sense of humor he’s displayed since he showed up at my house. “Follow me.”
He turns toward the door and I follow.
That scent swirls around me again, only this time I’m engulfed by a chill and I swear to God, there’s a whisper right next to my ear…
“Good girl.”
“What was that?” I startle, stumbling forward as Dalton turns to look behind me. His eyes fix on me, then move to my left for a long moment, then he turns back to the door and continues forward.
“What was what?” I can’t see his face, but I swear there’s amusement in his voice.
This may be more than I bargained for after all.
Chapter 4
Silas
There’s an unexpected twist in my plans.
And she’s wearing a pink fuzzy sweater and sparkly shoes.
The magnificence of her tits is only outshone by the curve of her ass and the way her eyes seem to look right through the cameras and into mine.
From the second she stepped out of the back of that limo, my eyes have been glued to the monitors. When she disappeared for a few seconds between cameras, I couldn’t breathe.
I want to run through the house and find her. Discover what she smells like. Tastes like.
The softness of her naked flesh.
I watched and listened as Dalton explained the details of the weekend to the four contestants. But the only one I saw was her. I was mesmerized by her every movement.
The sound of her voice makes my cock harden. Then throb. Nothing like that has happened to me in my life. It was like hearing something from the past. Her voice sounded like a memory, but I couldn’t place where I might have heard it.
She’s young, Agnes Cordelia Anderson, twenty-one years old this past May according to the dossier Dalton compiled on each and every contestant. She is the great granddaughter of Cordelia Anderson, who was apparently the head cook for my great-grandfather after the death of my great-grandmother. From what I understand, there was no love lost between my great grandparents. It was an arranged marriage. More a business deal for the families.
One of several untimely deaths that happened right here at Calmore.
A chill in the air reminds me of why I chose this rather eccentric way to disburse the estate. Why I believed it would give me the end result I desired. Because, before a few minutes ago, it was only my desires that mattered to me.
Agnes asked questions while Dalton went over the paperwork, then she asked for a moment to make a phone call.
Now, I’m watching her, listening to her talk on her cell in the ballroom. The light from the thousand-point crystal chandeliers flickers off her flowing brunette hair and shimmers down her body. The black sequined ballet-type shoes on her feet draw that same light and bounce it back around the room in some unending dance of stars and galaxies.
She’s unsure. Her voice sings to me, but there’s a frailty there I want to protect. I want to kick everyone else out of the house and be here with her alone.
Fuck this contest.
But the wheels are in motion and contracts have already been signed. There are things that need to be done. Deals that need to be made.
Because that’s what I do.
Tricks that need to be played and treats that need to be tasted…
As I listen to her conversation, I realize it’s not greed driving her. She doesn’t care all that much about winning the house. Which doesn’t make sense in any world I’ve ever known. She’s a dealer at the small casino in Battle Creek, sharing a low-rent two bedroom with three other people. Her parents are alive, but living in a trailer in Florida on a fixed income. She acts and sings in community theater and has dreams of bigger things.
She should be frothing at the mouth to win.
I know all the basics about the contestants. I made sure I had background checks on everyone prior to the invitations being sent. It was up to my discretion who was chosen. My great-grandfather’s will simply stated the house itself was to be bequeathed to a member of the household staff, or their heirs, in a test that proved their worthiness above the others.