“Really? Why did you have to lie about it, then? I don’t mind covering for you, but what you did was dangerous.” She scooted to the edge of the bed.
“Like you’ve never lied to your parents when you were going out to do something they wouldn’t approve of.” I folded my arms across my chest and glared at her.
“That’s different and you know it.” She exhaled sharply. “Okay fine, I’m dying to know the details. How was it?”
I left out a lot of the details, but I couldn’t hold back everything. We giggled like schoolgirls as I described my awful costume, going to Overlook Mansion, and getting to visit my own personal Funhouse. Even though she scolded me for my actions originally, she was quite intrigued by the concept. I could even see a hint of jealousy in her eyes. By the end of the conversation, she was no longer as angry as she was originally. It felt good to talk about it, even if I couldn’t delve into the darker parts of what I had done. Saying it out loud made it feel a little more real than it did when it tumbled around in my head.
“I guess that means you’re going back.” Jackie looked over at the old journal.
“Yeah, I have an open invitation. Why not?” I shrugged and reached for the book.
“Okay, I guess I’ll cover for you if you decide to spend another night with them, but you have to share some of the details. My love life is a disaster. At least I can live vicariously through you.” She smiled and shook her head. “But don’t forget that you promised to hang out with me this weekend!”
“I haven’t forgotten. It’ll be just like the old days.” I smiled and extended my arms for a hug.
After Jackie left, I started looking through the journal again. I was totally captivated by Abigail Herrington’s story. It was more than just a journal of punishments, although there were a lot of them detailed in the pages. I could feel the emotion dripping off each page. Some of the pages were harder to read and stained by smeared ink, but there was enough to fully understand what she was going through. She didn’t marry out of love, and her first punishment was definitely harsh, but things changed as time went on. The trips to the old basement became a part of their relationship—a bond that pulled them together. Her need for her husband’s dominance was clear, and that was enough to overcome the darkness that brought them together to begin with.
Perhaps that is why I feel the way I do about Dante and Shane. Or maybe there’s just something in the water in this town…
18
Dante
The next day
“I forgot how hard it was to actually work all day.” I stretched my muscles as I walked downstairs after my shower.
“Especially after we worked all night too.” Shane smirked and chuckled. “Now you have to tear your Funhouse down.”
“I’ll get to that tomorrow.” I dropped down into a chair and smiled. “Brianna will be here soon, I’m sure.”
“Not soon—she’s here.” Shane leaned forward and looked out the window. “I see her car coming this way.”
“Perfect. I showered at the right time. I’m glad I didn’t try to get an early start on the deconstruction.” I stood up and ran my fingers through my dark colored hair to straighten some of the mess that the comb didn’t fix.
We both got to our feet and watched Brianna park her car near the road. She truly was a vision of loveliness, the sun reflecting on her beautiful face as she walked towards the house. I walked over and opened the door once she started up the steps. The second she was inside the house, I pulled her close for a kiss. I didn’t hide my affection for her. The kiss was filled with passion and practically set off fireworks in my head. When I pulled back from her lips, she was gasping, but she wasn’t going to get a chance to breathe until Shane had his turn. He tried to outdo me as he pulled her into his arms, teased her with his touch, and then crushed her pouty lips beneath his. They kissed for almost a minute before the seal was finally broken.
“Hello to the two of you as well.” Brianna gasped and exhaled sharply. “Okay, I returned the book for the twenty four hour mark, so I’ll be on my way.”
“Wait a second.” I reached out and grabbed her arm. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“You said I had to bring it back and I did. I’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry.” She gave me a grin that confirmed she was just messing with us.
“Don’t even try that shit.” I gave her a smack on the back of her jeans and pushed her towards the living room.
“Okay.” She faked a disappointed sigh. “I guess I’ll stay for one glass of iced tea.”
Shane went to the kitchen and I followed Brianna into the living room. Spending the day away from her after all we did the night before was enough to bring my desires back to the surface. She was no longer our naughty cheerleader, but she was just as tempting and delicious. I fought against my urges and waited until Shane brought our drinks. Brianna sat down on the couch and immediately pulled out the journal, along with a notebook. I was surprised to see that she had pages of notes and had stuffed bookmarks into multiple pages of the book. I was a bit intrigued and I could see that she was about to burst with whatever news she had to share. Even her foot bounced with anticipation as she waited for Shane to come back.
“Did you read the whole thing in one night?” I raised my eyebrows as I took a seat across from her.
“Yes.” She nodded quickly. “I spent some time in the school library after my classes were done, too.”
“Oh really?” Shane seemed intrigued as he sat down. “I didn’t realize it was that interesting.”
“It’s very interesting, actually.” Brianna tapped her finger on the notebook. “There’s not much information available about Abigail Herrington, but there is a lot of stuff written about her husband. He had a couple of patents that made the family quite wealthy.”
“Seriously?” I blinked in surprise. “I’ve never even heard of him and we bought his house. The house belonged to some estate, but it was a different last name.”