Paranormal Erotic Romance Box Set (29 page)

“We were staring at Tommy Chartrand,” Céline said, “well,
I was and--”

“You slut,” Patrick said and bit Céline’s neck.

“Thank you,” Céline said. “Anyway, Tommy was on the phone
with a Mrs. Therrault. Naturally, this got our attention so we stood at the
front desk while he made the reservation. Conway was there and nearly pissed
himself.”

“Is it true?” James said to me.

“Yes, it’s true,” I said and sighed.

“So, the killers return to the scene of the crime,” Judah
said and sat down.

“My God,” Patrick said, “it’s like a fucking Agatha
Christie novel. Where the fuck is that janitor? I want a cigarette.”

“He’s right there,” I said and pointed at a man raking
leaves behind the bushes. “Just wait, he’ll be gone soon.”

“So, Sophia, what’s the plan?” James said. “This is what
you’ve been waiting for.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I have to think.”

“Of course, we’ll help. We will all help,” Céline said.

“Oh, you bet your ass we’ll help,” Patrick said. “It will
be the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, part deux.”

“Are they really stupid enough to come back here?” Judah
said.

“They have a free night,” I said. “Fucking Conway offered
it to Brandt the day they killed me as an apology for disturbing him when he
came to the suite. Nellie made the call...sick bitch. She asked for the same
fucking room.”

“Well, we have to be smart about it, but this is your
golden opportunity, baby,” James said and lifted me in his arms. “Think about
it, the chance to avenge your death and get Bobby Allen off? It’s perfect.”

“Yes,” I said and smiled as I pictured myself ripping the
flesh from Brandt and Nellie’s bones, “perfect.”

That night, during Jennie-Lynn’s birthday celebration, not
a moment went by that I didn’t think of Brandt and Nellie. Even during
Heinrich’s unveiling of his spectacular Baked Alaska, I tried to formulate my
plan. The others learned very quickly of my news and offered congratulations
and support. But no one, not even James would tell me what to do. As I found,
that could only be sussed out by me.

As James and I lay entwined in the library that evening, I
put my head on his chest, as I did every night, and listened to the hollowness
inside his body while he slept.

“I wish I could hear your heart beating,” I said as I
nuzzled against his cool skin. “Maybe I’ll rip Brandt’s heart out of his chest
and stuff it into yours.”

I stared at the wall of the library above the milky marble
fire place. The roaring flames cast shadows on the wall that made me think of
undulating natives dancing around a bon fire during their ceremonies. I
wondered if Hades and Thanatos, wherever they were, celebrated as the flames did.
I wondered if they were the flames.

As if it were a projection screen, I stared at the wall,
mottled by the shadows, and saw different scenes of possible endings for Brandt
and Nellie. If something didn’t look right, I dropped that scene and pictured a
new one.

And then I saw the most obvious flaw in my plan.

“Fuck,” I said and slammed my fist down on James’ chest.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

James bolted upright and knocked me off his body as he
gasped.

“Okay,” James said as he rubbed his chest. “Just suck it a
little first.”

James pushed the sheet off his legs and reached out and
grabbed my head.

“No, not that,” I said and ducked away from his hand.

“What then?”

“If I kill Brandt and Nellie here, at the hotel, they’ll
remain here.”

“Yes, that’s right,” James said and yawned.

“Well, it’s not right to me. I can’t spend the rest of
time sharing space with those two!”

“No, can’t say I blame you.”

“Man, why didn’t I think of that earlier?” I said and
scratched my head. “All these rules and laws...I get confused. I bet you
thought of that.”

“Yes,” James said and leaned back against the wall, “I
did.”

“Why the hell didn’t you mention it? This changes
everything.”

“Because I knew it would come to you eventually.”

“But what if it didn’t?”

“I knew that it would,” James said and rubbed his eyes.

“But what if it didn’t?”

“It would! Look Sophia, this is your journey. I will
assist you, we will all assist you, but you have the weight of it to bear and
work out.”

“But this changes everything,” I said and shook my head.

“Uh huh.”

“And we cannot appear to them and just torture them until
they are convinced to confess?”

“We cannot appear to them,” James said. “Torture is
entirely possible. Confession will have to be worked out.”

“And we cannot leave the grounds?”

“No.”

“Even if I steal a car and drive them to the police
station?”

“You may certainly steal whatever you wish, but you cannot
go beyond the Battleroy’s surveyed grounds.”

“Do you know where the property line is?”

“Yes.”

“Would you care to give me a fucking clue?”

“No,” James said and smiled. “Everything you need,
however, is right in this room. You know, Galileo said that all truths are easy
to understand once you discover them. I’m paraphrasing.”

“Terrific.”

“Don’t be sour. You can figure it out.”

“Well, if I can’t kill them, can’t tie them up, can’t make
them confess, I may as well give in to the fact that I can’t do a fucking
thing. That Brandt and Nellie are getting rewarded for murdering me with a free
vacation.”

“As you wish.”

“No, it is not what I wish. I wish that I could rip them
to shreds after making them write down their confessions and never have to see
them again.”

“Well, half of that you can do,” he said and smiled.

“I wish you would tell me what to do.”

“All of that, I cannot do.”

“Great,” I said and stood from the floor.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to talk to Adelaide. She’s been here the
longest and may help me.”

I walked to the library’s hidden door and pushed the brass
button that drives the door to retreat into its pocket.

“Sophia?”

“What?”

“You’re not going to leave me with a hard cock, are you?”

“Your cock is always hard,” I said and sighed. “I would
think you’d be used to it by now.”

“Come on, that’s not very helpful.”

“Now you know how I feel,” I said and walked into the
entrance to the side stairs that led to the basement.

I trudged my way through the snow toward the rose garden.
I opened the iron gate and a screeching croak let go from its hinges. I turned
to see if there was anyone else around on the cold, foggy January morning.

“No one here but us dead people,” I said as I walked into
the garden.

I hopped up on the stone altar across from Adelaide and
stared at her. She looked like an ice princess wearing a coat of snow and was
tinged blue from the cold just the same as she would if she was made of flesh.

“Adelaide?” I said and cleared my throat. “Adelaide, are
you there?”

Adelaide’s eyes shifted and a cracking sound came from her
as if someone was freeing ice cubes from a metal cube tray.

“Well, where else would I be?” Adelaide said.

“Yeah, of course,” I said and knocked an icicle off the
edge of the altar. “Sorry.”

“The Governor’s Ball, perhaps?” Adelaide said and
chuckled.

“Force of habit, I need to--”

“Perhaps burlesque in the middle of the Champs-Élysées?”
she said.

“Okay, I get it...you’re here. I want to ask you
something, but I’m wondering if I should come back?”

“What’s on your mind, Sophia?”

“This is hard all of a sudden,” I said as I flicked a thin
sheet of ice off the top of the altar.

“Spit it out, I’m tired,” Adelaide said.

“Um, so did you hear that Brandt and Nellie are coming
back?”

“Oh yes,” she said. “Jonas paid me a visit after the party
and told me. How fortuitous, Sophia. You must be very pleased.”

“I am, was, pleased. But now I have a dilemma,” I said and
stared at Adelaide for a bit.

“And what is the dilemma?”

“The predicament I have is that if I kill them, they’ll
become, well, residents.”

“Yes.”

“And I don’t want that.”

“No, I would not imagine you would.”

“See, that’s what James said,” I said and smiled.

“Good, we’re in agreement. Now, if you don’t mind--”

“No, but the real dilemma now is that I need a new plan.”

“No, your real dilemma is figuring out that plan on your
own.”

“Yeah, James said that too,” I said.

“Good, again...agreement.”

“But isn’t there the tiniest of hints that you can give
me? This is so important. To me, yes, but also to Bobby Allen. I’ve read he’s
not doing so hot.”

“Okay, one hint: everything you need is in the library,”
Adelaide said. “Due diligence, Sophia.”

“Incredible...James said that too.”

“Then it seems we are in--”

“Yeah, I know, agreement,” I said and looked up at the
sky, glutted with shiny stars.

“Read the ancient texts, Sophia. On the shelves and those
kept in the curio box. Especially those kept in the curio box.”

“Okay,” I said and jumped off the altar.

“Good, do those things and come back to me with any
questions.”

“So you will help me?”

“No, not really, but I get bored,” Adelaide said. “What
can I say? I’m a people person.”

“Yes, it would appear,” I said and walked toward the gate.

“Chin up, sad sack,” Adelaide said.

“Thank you for talking to me,” I said as I opened the iron
gate. “I’m going to go back to the library now and start, I suppose.”

“Good idea, dear. From my estimation, you only have a
couple of weeks before the ill-fated day arrives.”

“You know, I have another question,” I said after I closed
the gate.

“Yes?” Adelaide said.

“If we’re supposed to be these supernatural beings, why
can’t we do supernatural things? I mean, we can’t walk through walls, we bounce
off of people like pinballs if they run into us, there are a million rules and
regulations that we have to follow so we’re not discovered. On top of all of
that, which is tiresome enough, we are still cursed with human emotions.”

“And?”

“And, it stinks.”

“Pardon the irony, but whoever said you were promised a
rose garden?”

“It’s just--”

“No, it’s just that you need to grow up. The grass is not
always greener over here, Sophia. And, as in life, you have the ability to
change your attitude and change your course.”

“So, now I’m a child? I mean really, Adelaide, that’s a
bit over the top.”

“You didn’t hear anything else I said? Just go do your
work, Sophia.”

“But--”

“Goodnight, Sophia.”

“Goodnight, Adelaide.”

“Can I see another’s woe and not be in sorrow too? Can
I see another’s grief and not seek for kind relief?”

William Blake

I awoke the next day with a start after a loud bang echoed
off the walls of the library.

“What?” I said and looked to my right at the bare spot
where James usually slept.

“Wake up, sleepy head,” James said from the far end of the
library. “It’s Sunday and you have the entire day and night to do your
research.”

“Lovely,” I said and got up from the floor.

“Now, I’ve arranged everything you need right here. You
have all of the texts, a full pot of coffee and I stole some pads and pens from
Conway’s office.”

“Thank you,” I said and yawned as I walked toward the
conference table.

“See, I’m helpful, no?” James said and gave me a hug.

“Yes, very,” I said.

“Good, now get to it,” he said and spanked my bottom. “I’m
going out hunting with Patrick and Perry today.”

“Hunting?”

“Well, we call it hunting. It’s really just an excuse to
explore the grounds with a fifty-year-old scotch we pilfered from the cellar.”

“Okie doke,” I said and ran my hand down James’ chest.

“But first,” James said and grabbed me around my waist and
spun me around. “I need to hunt something else.”

James pushed the papers aside and grabbed my wrists as he
slammed me down over the conference table. I heard him fumbling with his belt
as I bent deeply and poked my ass out toward him.

“I cannot resist you,” James said.

“That’s a good thing,” I said and spread my legs wide.

“The best thing,” he said and rubbed the shaft of his cock
between my legs. “And you’re always ready for me aren’t you, Sophia?”

“Always,” I said.

“I will never ask, I will always take it,” James said as
he plunged his cock into my pussy. “Do you understand me?”

“Yes,” I said and gasped.

James raked his fingernails up and down my back as he thrust
himself in and out of me. He wound my long hair around his wrist and snapped my
neck back. He stared into my eyes as he fucked me and I broke out into a
billion goose bumps as he pulled my hair.

“I didn’t hear you,” James said. “You need to answer me clearly,
Sophia. Do you understand me or do you need a spanking?”

“Yes!”

James released my hair and my head fell forward. I rested
my cheek on the cool, smooth conference table and my face slid back and forth
across the table as James fucked me.

“You didn’t say which, so I’m going to assume you need a
spanking,” he said and pulled out of me.

James placed his hand on my upper back and pressed me into
the table until my breasts were compressed against the wood and he dealt the
first blows. His palm slammed against my ass as he struck me several times and
my legs trembled as I felt the stings from the sharp cracks zing up my spine to
the back of my neck.

“Do you like this?” James said as he spanked me.

“Yes!”

James paused for a moment and caressed my stinging flesh.