The Man of my Dreams (4 page)

He bent down and kissed me. I felt a wave of passion sweep over me.

I long for this too, my sweet, more than you know,
I answered.

He picked me up in his arms and carried me inside. The bed cover felt cool compared to the warmth of the sun. I could feel his heart beating faster and his breathing was getting louder. My own heart was racing and, once again, my senses were alive. My insides ached for him, but he wasn’t one for rushing. He gently teased me with his lips, his fingers and his tongue. Oh God, his tongue! He did amazing things with his tongue! I could hardly control myself. He was masterful at his art and knew exactly when to stop. He seemed to enjoy torturing me and making me beg. His skin was so soft and smooth and I loved the feeling of his naked torso brushing against mine. Everything about him was beautiful. When his hands touched me it was almost electric. No matter what part of me he touched I tingled all over. Nothing or no one had ever made me feel this way. I wanted him now like I'd never wanted anything in my life.

He moved up closer to me, positioning his body above me as if reading my mind.

My eyes must have been pleading with him.

Yes, I am ready!!!!

Oh well, to be continued tonight,
I thought to myself.

I decided a cold swim was in order!

Chapter 6

Mirage

Jenny kept looking at the clock. God, it was quiet tonight! She should have closed up early but needed this business to do well. She was really putting in the hours now. She had always been a talented designer and decided to open her own boutique. It was doing quite well, but she needed that big break before making her first million.

9 p.m.! Finally she could close up and head home. She'd been working all week and was looking forward to a hot bath and a glass of wine.

She punched the numbers into the alarm pad and quickly went out the door, locking it behind her. Her car was just across the road, which was good because the street was pretty deserted now. She started to walk across and then noticed the man. He was standing in the alley just back a bit from her car. Her heart started thumping.
God, what to do now?
She could go back into the shop and wait until he'd gone. Or maybe she should just get her keys ready and enter the car as quickly as possible, locking the doors straight away? She decided on the latter— a decision she regretted almost immediately.

He lunged at her as soon as she neared her car, grabbing her from behind and putting a knife to her throat. She was so scared she forgot all about her self-defense training. She couldn’t see his face but knew he was white from his arm.

He never said a word, dragging her into the alley while holding the knife close to her throat. Her mind was racing.

God, please don’t let him rape me or kill me!
She silently pleaded.

She told him she had money in her purse, hoping this was just a mugging. But as soon as she opened her mouth he pushed the blade harder into her skin.

Panicked, she tried to struggle. This made him angry and he threw her onto the ground. She hit her head hard on the pavement and started to feel groggy.

As he tried to remove her underwear, she fought weakly. His strength overwhelmed her easily and he pinned her down with one arm while removing her panties with the other. She felt dizzy and nauseas. She knew she was going to die. He started to remove his own pants. She knew what was coming and was helpless to stop it. Her head wound seeped blood onto the concrete and she could feel the world fading away.

Why was this happening now just as she was starting to get her life together? She was a good person . . . why didn’t God stop this from happening?

Please, please don’t let him rape me,
she begged inside her head.

Something moved in her peripheral vision then suddenly vanished. Her assailant disappeared. She could hear a man screaming and what sounded like an animal growling and hissing. Too disoriented to realise what was happening around her, she went numb. Nothing mattered except the rapist didn’t return. There was crashing and banging and what sounded vaguely like slurping.

After what seemed like an eternity, Jenny felt herself being picked up and carried in strong arms. These were not the arms of her assailant, but rather comforting arms. She no longer felt in danger and knew, somehow, that she was safe and protected. She'd been spared and someone— or something— was now telling her she'd be okay.
Just hang in there,
said a voice,
and you'll be fine.

The next thing she remembered was waking up in the hospital.

Nana sat staring at the computer screen.

"I wish these darn people would write in capitals or in a bigger font so I could bloody well read what they're trying to tell me!" She sighed. She had spent the evening trying to upload photos onto one of her many web pages, in between reading emails and messages from friends. Her eyes were getting tired and she was starting to see double.

"Oh well, Freddie, time to shut you down and try to catch up on some much needed sleep."

She knew sleep would probably elude her as it usually did when her mind was racing. But she needed to at least try. Even a few hours would do her some good.

The computer screen went black and she stood up, stretching her aching back. Sitting hunched over a computer screen wasn't exactly good for her arthritis, but she loved interacting with people. It could get very lonely in this big old house. Her husband had died a long time ago and her only son had disappeared. Nana and her daughter had searched and searched long after the cops had given up. She just didn’t believe he was dead. She thought she would feel it if he was.

She pushed the chair in and walked down the hallway.

The young man waited outside in the shadows for the woman inside to go to bed.

I thought these old ducks went to bed early?
He thought to himself, annoyed.

It was already after 1 a.m. and he'd been waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

He didn't want to hurt her. He just needed to get in and get out quickly, grab whatever crap was easy to hock off or swap for drugs. Laptops, cameras, mobile phones, etc — all were used as currency in the drug world, almost as good as cash. He could see her handbag sitting right there on the table. Very helpful!

Finally the light went out. He'd been casing her house out for the last few nights trying to figure a way in without making too much noise. He was pretty sure he'd found it. The cat door wasn't too far away from the door lock and she always left her keys dangling. He grabbed one of the bamboo stakes out of her garden and carefully maneuvered it through the cat door and into the key ring. The trick now was not to pull the keys out too fast and have them fall on the floor. The last thing he wanted to do was wake up the old biddy.

Very slowly and carefully, he pulled the keys out of the lock and lowered them down and through the cat door. Mission accomplished! Now he just had to unlock the door and he was in!

It always made it easier when they didn’t have a dog. He was scared of dogs and always avoided those houses.

He quietly made his way over to the table. He could see her handbag clearly. Opening it, he peered inside. Jackpot! Purse, camera and mobile! This would do just nicely. There wasn’t a lot of cash, but combined with the other goodies this haul would do just fine.

Now to get out of here.

Nana crept up behind the thief. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and was positive he must be able to hear it, too. She knew she should just let him take her handbag and not try and stop him. But that money had to last her until next pension day and the camera had pictures of her grandchildren she hadn’t yet downloaded. She kept a mini baseball bat under her pillow and was going to knock him out with it! She had already dialed 000 and left the phone off the hook. Hopefully the cops were on the way.

He turned around just in time to see the baseball bat coming down and ducked. It smacked onto his shoulder and he cried out in pain, dropping the handbag on the floor. Out spilled the contents.

“What did you do that for, you stupid bitch? All I wanted was the fucking handbag! You should've just let me take it!” he yelled. Losing control, he struck her across the head, sending her reeling backwards.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, I just need the money!”

“You need money for what, drugs? Then why don’t you get a job and stop stealing off people who actually need that money to survive? This is what I need to eat for the next two weeks!” she yelled back.

He was getting angry now. He hadn’t wanted a confrontation, just a quiet slip in and out. Then he'd be off to get his fix. He didn't need this sob story bullshit!

“Look lady, just stay out of my way. I'm taking your money and that's that. Not a damn thing you can do about it!”

He knelt down, picked up the handbag and started piling everything back into it. The old bitch had seen him now . . . and that wasn’t part of the plan. What if she'd already rung the cops? He really had to get off this shit as it was turning him into a thief and woman basher.

“Just one more hit,” he said out loud. “I'll give it up after that.”

It was about 6 feet tall with long dark hair that was matted to its head. Its eyes were piercing blue, almost white. Fangs protruded from its mouth. It was covered from head to toe in blood and looking right at him . . . growling.

He tried to move but the monster grabbed him with a clawed hand and effortlessly lifted him off the ground.

Nana was peeking around the corner. She stifled a scream and froze, horrified but intrigued.

“Give the lady back her handbag,” it snarled. “Give up the drugs, get a job, and stop stealing from innocent people. Or I WILL be back, comprendo? You're very lucky that I've already eaten tonight.”

The addict nodded his head vigorously.

“Y-Yeah, sure I will,” he stuttered.

The thing threw him against the fence. He fell to the ground hard. It looked at him and hissed. He threw the bag on the ground and limped off as fast as he could go.

It turned around and saw Nana watching. She ducked back around the corner hoping it hadn’t spotted her. Her breathing was getting laboured and she realised her inhaler was in her handbag.

Something in its stature seemed familiar and its eyes seemed almost sad. She didn’t feel afraid anymore and sensed it was here to help her.

It bent down, picked up the handbag, and handed it to her. Then she thought it tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace with teeth covered in blood. It opened its mouth as if to say something when the sound of sirens interrupted.

The knock on the door gave Nana a start and she spun round. She turned back to thank the thing for helping her, but it was gone.

He hung his head sadly. He had wanted to tell her, but how could he? It was obvious that she was terrified of him. She shied away from him and stared at him as if he was a monster.

That was his life now, scaring people. He was destined to live in the shadows, away from the light, hiding where people couldn’t see his face. It was a fate worse than death, never again to be surrounded by loved ones or friends. He was hideous.

A Monster.

Even his own mother hadn't recognised him!

Chapter 7

Back to Reality

It felt strange coming back to Ellenbrook. I was apprehensive to go inside, not wanting the sadness over Paul to ruin my mood. I need not have worried— it felt like home. I unpacked, tackled a load of washing, and put the jug on. Coffee. What an awesome time I’d had at the beach house, not to mention the nights with the man I dreamt of every time I closed my eyes. Now I was looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. I couldn't wait catch up with my best friend Maria, who was a bit of a gossip but a lot of fun. I felt bad I hadn’t rung her when Paul left. She'll chastise me, but I know she'll understand. I stirred my coffee and sat on the couch to drink it. Millions of thoughts whirled through my head. I wondered how He came to be in my dreams and if He was real. If He was real, how did He leave my fantasies and enter my reality?

I finished my coffee and ran a bath, looking forward to a nice long soak before bed. I wanted to join my lover once again. He was right. I did feel him around me all the time. Since the day my parents died I felt protected and safe. I never really understood why. Was he my Guardian Angel? He couldn’t be an angel; angels surely didn’t do what he did in my dreams! I knew now I hadn’t imagined him. He was too real for even my vivid imagination. Tonight I would ask him more questions about what he was and where he came from. If he allows it, that is. He has a certain way of shutting me up.

I must have dozed off in the bath. He was there kissing me with those soft moist lips. Not only did he have the face of an angel, but the body and voice of one too. He handed me a towel and helped me out of the bath.