She shook her head. Justin and his brown eyes. Look where they’d landed her. Alone and making shrews out of her heroines.
Images of their last fight wafted through her mind. The one that stuck was the empty look in on his face when he told her she “wasn’t fun anymore.” Of course, days later she learned the phrase “not fun anymore” translated to “I’m fucking a skinny 22-year-old.”
Michelle looked down at her heavy, 31-year-old body. When she and Justin had started dating, he’d assured her he didn’t mind the extra weight.
“You’re voluptuous,” he’d said one night as he’d held her close. “It’s nice to have something to hold onto. I love your curvy butt and full boobs.”
Nine months later the blonde had appeared and her curves had turned into fat. Her self-esteem had plummeted and taken root in her work. Her agent had started to complain that her writing was now flat and lacking in sensuality.
“These may be sweet romances but you still need some excitement,” Sandra said one night. “The plot is good, but you need to rework a lot of this before I show it to the publisher.”
Michelle had tried and tried and tried but nothing had worked. Until last night, that is. Until her new creation had professed her beauty and his delight in her body.
Michelle cleared the table and then cut herself a healthy slice of cheesecake. She carried the treat to Mark’s office where she found papers from Sandra in the fax machine.
Sandra had drawn a big smiley face in the middle of the pages and scribbled, “Keep it up! Literally,” at the top of the page. Charles let out a laugh in the back of her mind and Hannah giggled, but Sebastian was nowhere to be seen, or heard.
Michelle finished her cheesecake and took the plate to the kitchen. She cleaned the plate, and then wiped down the counter before heading out the door. She followed the path to the beach. The towel she’d used the previous night was still on the bench.
Waves lapped against the shore and birds cawed in the trees.
“Sebastian?” The ocean roared in answer, but Sebastian did not materialize.
“This isn’t a part-time job you know,” Michelle said with a laugh. “I’m the boss. If you want your own book, you need to come when I call you.”
A giggle escaped her lips. “Are you pissed because you didn’t get to come last night? I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Now get out here and talk to me.”
The beach remained empty and Michelle frowned. She had work to do, and truthfully her memories of last night would fuel the next chapter. Inspiration for her creativity aside, it was her body that craved Sebastian. In her mind she knew he wasn’t real, but her nerve endings tingled as they remembered his touch.
The thought of him had provided an orgasm unlike any she’d had in the past. She might just have to make him a permanent muse. If she could ever get him to appear again.
* * * *
Michelle started cursing Sebastian around one a.m. She tried over and over to write the scene were Hannah finally surrendered her virginity to her true love, but the words just weren’t right.
Twice she took breaks and went to the beach to call for Sebastian’s help, but the muse remained elusive.
Just after three a.m., she packed up her laptop, grabbed a blanket and walked down the path to the beach.
“Sebastian? Come out, come out wherever you are.” Her singsong voice rang through the air. When no one answered, Michelle placed the laptop on the table, sat down and started to write.
“If you let me, I could help,” Charles said sullenly. “I am the main character here, remember? He’s not even in the book. Why don’t you ask for my opinion on this delicate matter?”
Michelle laughed softly. “I’m sorry Charles. Of course you have a say in this. Would you like to be on top, or on the bottom? Of course since this is Hannah’s first time, maybe she should have the final say.”
Charles chuckled. “I’ve always preferred taking a woman from behind. I get in deeper that way. Would an audience be wrong at this point?”
“If you’re not going to give realistic input you can go away,” Michelle said.
Charles gave a haughty laugh and disappeared. Michelle huffed before turning her attention back to the keyboard. Realistic! Who was she kidding? She was talking to a character in a book. And she’d had a muse-induced orgasm. Or had she? Had last night just been a dream? Or was there a flesh and blood man roaming the island, playing with the breasts and clits of every woman he found?
The kernel of doubt that had appeared and quickly disappeared last night reared its ugly head again. Something wasn’t right. Her muses had never shown interest in her, only in her heroines.
But Sebastian couldn’t be real. He had appeared out of nowhere. And disappeared just as quickly. But he’d been warm, solid and very male.
And that hair. That beautiful long hair. And those blue eyes. So unlike anything she’d given a character in the past.
Had she been feeling so sorry for herself last night that she’d allowed a total stranger to play with her body, then rationalized it by thinking it was a fantasy?
Son of a bitch! Ducky. Isn’t that what Kate said his name was? And what exactly had she said about him this morning? Just that he was a friend of Mark’s and that she could call him to keep her company. Shit. When she got her hands on the jerk she’d throttle him.
“If I could, I’d pat him on the back,” Charles said with a laugh. “Because of him my balls weren’t blue at the end of chapter five.”
“Screw you, Charles,” Michelle retorted. “Ducky didn’t write that, I did. You should be thanking me, not him.”
“Yes but he stimulated your mood,” Charles said. “Lighten up. And if he comes back, lie down and let him—”
Michelle screamed. “Keep out of it.”
Charles chuckled and Michelle pulled the laptop closer to her. She began to pound out the love scene, hitting the keys so hard she wondered if she’d break one of them off.
When both Charles and Hannah were panting with pleasure, Michelle saved the file and closed down the computer.
She ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled loudly.
“Last night you were naked. I’d hoped I would find you that way again.”
Sebastian was standing by the edge of the trees, wearing a pair of dark pants and an open white shirt—the same thing he’d been wearing last night. His hair hung down past his hips and she studied it, knowing most women would kill for a head of hair like that. By the look on his face, Michelle knew he was wondering how to handle the situation.
“Is this a big joke to you? Let’s break in the new girl by sneaking up on her and pretending to be something you’re not?”
“I pretended nothing,” he said, his voice a soft caress. “In truth I thought you a mirage, or a new part of the curse.”
“Last night I was beautiful and now I’m part of a curse? You bastard. Get the fuck out of here, now!”
Michelle pointed toward the trees, but Sebastian stood rooted to the ground.
“No one would ever think you a curse, little one. In truth I’d hoped you would be here so I could bury myself inside your tight little quim.”
“You can forget the quim talk, buster. You’re Ducky, Mark’s friend. Did he call you? Is this his idea of a joke? I know Kate would never do this no matter how much she thinks I need to get screwed. Just wait until I get my hands on Mark.”
Sebastian’s face clouded with confusion. “I don’t know of a Ducky. And I’ve never talked with Mark, or Kate, or anyone else at the house.”
“Really? Well, I can tell you’re not a mute. What’s the problem? They think you’re a jerk just like I do?”
Anger replaced confusion. “If by jerk you mean rude and arrogant, then yes, others have thought that of me in the past. But in truth, I don’t know what others think of me in this day and time. You’re the first person I’ve spoken with in years. One hundred and eighty six of them, to be exact.”
Chapter Three
Anger mixed with fear flowed through Michelle’s veins. Sebastian took a step toward her and she backed up, putting the table between them. “I take it back. You’re not a jerk. You’re a lunatic. Insane. Please, just go away.”
The first rays of sunlight hit the beach and a look of intense sorrow crossed Sebastian’s face. Michelle felt a pull on her heart. He was nuts, but he was in obvious distress. And she didn’t think he was dangerous. He hadn’t hurt her yesterday. On the contrary, he’d given her pleasure unlike anything she’d ever known.
His grief pushed away her anger. Something was wrong here. Very wrong. “Is there someone I could call? A friend, relative?” The local psychiatric hospital?
“I don’t want you to be afraid of me. Please. It’s been so long.” Sebastian’s voice was low.
Michelle moved back around the table and took a few tentative steps toward him. A look of utter joy replaced his sadness. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was a child who had just received a Christmas gift.
“If you’re not Ducky, then tell me who you are.”
Sebastian frowned, and then moved closer to Michelle. “I told you my name. It hasn’t changed.”
“What’s your last name?” If she knew that she could track down a relative. Maybe someone was looking for him. It was obvious he wasn’t thrusting on all cylinders. She closed the gap and looked into his soft blue eyes. Was it fair that someone so gorgeous was a nutcase?
Her fear was gone. He wasn’t going to hurt her, she could tell. He wanted nothing more than to talk. Well, to talk and to fuck. He’d made that emotion perfectly clear.
“Maddox,” he whispered. His hand was gentle as he caressed her cheek and a sigh escaped Michelle’s lips. His touch was like magic, and unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Huge blasts of pleasure shot through her as he stroked her. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, to claim his lips and kiss him, deeply.
She leaned into his chest even as her brain warned her against what was happening. “I thought the Maddox family was all gone.”
He was kissing her now, his lips trailing across her forehead and down her nose, landing on her lips and claiming them in a possessive gesture that perfectly matched what she’d just thought. It was almost as if he could read her mind.
Oh no, Michelle thought, I’m falling for the crazy person the family keeps in the attic. That’s what Marta and her family are guarding. Shit. No, no this can’t be happening.
Um, yes, yes. Lord I hope this is real. Sebastian’s tongue pushed for entrance and Michelle opened her lips, sucking him into her, savoring the feel of his tongue as he swept inside.
Sebastian’s deep moan seemed to reverberate in her chest and when he pulled his lips away from hers, she felt as if he’s sucked her heart out as he’d left. “I can’t believe that you’re real. That you can see me. Hear me. Feel me.”
He pulled her closer and Michelle wound her arms around his broad shoulders. Her fingers caught in his beautiful hair and she gathered some of it in her hands.
“Let me take you to the house. Marta can help you I’m sure.” Then we’ll find a professional who’ll cure you of the idea you haven’t talked to someone in one hundred and eighty six years.
“Marta can’t help me,” Sebastian said. “No one can help me. They’ve all tried. They’ve all failed.”
He kissed her again, the feeling spreading down Michelle’s body until it settled in her “quim.” She giggled that the old-fashioned word had slipped into her brain. When Sebastian stepped back, the look of pain had returned. He looked toward the rising sun and tears filled the corners of his eyes.
“Please believe me when I say that I’m sorry. I want to stay with you, but I can’t.”
Michelle’s anger came back. She took a step away from him and put her hands on her hips. “Forget the cryptic cloak and dagger bull and tell me why not.” She knew she should be careful. If he really was mentally unstable, talking to him like this might not be a good idea. Of course neither was kissing him, or contemplating other ideas, like taking him inside her.
When he didn’t answer she waved a hand in his face, as if to snap him out of a stupor. “Are you married?
“No.” The answer was so soft she barely heard it. The first rays of morning sunshine hit the beach and Michelle turned toward it, smiling as the new day started. It was so gorgeous here, to see the sun begin its ascent high above the earth, to hear the soft chirp of birds and the rustle of leaves in the wind.
“Listen, Sebastian.” She turned back to him, not quite sure what she should say. “I’m a little freaked out by all this. I don’t usually allow men I don’t know to, um, pleasure me.”
“The pleasure was mine.” His smile made his face light up. “You were so beautiful as you climaxed. I would like to see it again.”
He took a step toward her and his body seemed to shimmer. Michelle’s eyes widened as he held out a hand. She could see straight through him. She stumbled backward, tripping on a rock and falling flat on her butt. Her impact jarred her and she shut her eyes. She heard Sebastian’s soft, “Forgive me,” and opened her eyes just in time to see him vanish. Her jaw dropped and she forgot about the pain in her backside.
“What the hell…? Get back here!” She jumped up and ran a circuit of the cove, inspecting all the trees for wires or mirrors, or better yet, for video cameras. If this was the kind of friends Mark had, she didn’t want to have anything to do with them. She had half a mind to take one of the cars in the garage and find this Ducky, tell him exactly what she thought of him and his jokes.
She’d fallen for it twice now. At least tonight she hadn’t been naked, and hadn’t let him get her off.
“But you loved it, remember?”
“Get the hell away from me, Charles. I swear, I will…”
“He was real. Very real.”
“Yeah?” She wheeled toward where the image of Charles wavered before her. “You think you’re real, too. But guess what? I created you; you’re make-believe.”
“Am I?” Charles gave her the smile that drove Hannah crazy. “You don’t believe that. I’ve read interviews you’ve given where you say your characters are real to you.”
Michelle buried her face in her hands, trying to get hold of her senses. Charles was right, of course. Her characters were real to her, were her friends. That’s why she enjoyed writing, and reading. It helped her to explore new worlds, to have new experiences.
“Charles?”
“Yes?”
She looked over at him. “May I try something?”
“Yes.”
Michelle walked to him slowly. When she was within inches she put out her hand, tried to touch his check. She was greeted with nothing but air and her heart rate shot up. “I can’t touch you.”
“Of course not. I don’t have physical form. But Sebastian did, correct?”
“Right.”
“Something tells me you have a little mystery on your hands. I hope you’ll allow me to help as you solve it.”
Yes, she definitely had a mystery to solve. She thought about asking Marta, but until she had a handle on it, she didn’t want to appear to be crazy. There were two ways to start. The first would be to introduce herself to Ducky, to see if he resembled Sebastian in any way. The second would be to find a library in town, do a little research on the Maddox family, and see what she could learn about Sebastian Maddox.
* * * *
She found the main branch of the St. Johns County Library on
Ponce de Leon Boulevard
. As she’d driven into St. Augustine, it hit her again how populated Florida was. Her home state of Texas was huge and you could drive for miles without coming across a city or town. It wasn’t that way here. The little section of land that Mark owned seemed so far away from civilization, it was, in fact, very close to downtown St. Augustine. And it hadn’t taken her long to find Ducky’s house before she’d headed into town.
He was also a rich young m
an who lived just east of Mark. The young, bikinied woman who’d answered the door told her Ducky was “in Miami,” and had been there for a week. “But you can come in and have a beer. We’re having a party tonight.”
Michelle had graciously declined before heading toward the library. The girl’s information could be taken two ways: one she was lying and Ducky was playing at being Sebastian, thereby punking her. Or two, Charles was right and Sebastian was real.
“I’m always right.” Charles’ voice had echoed in her mind and made her smile.
She parked in the city lot and walked to the library. A librarian told her where she could find a book on St. Johns County history, and directed her to where she could request back issues of newspapers and magazines.
Michelle was thankful for the library skills her English teachers taught her as she quickly navigated the research area, finding several newspaper articles that focused on the history of the area and the local houses that had been around for a while.
Finding the Maddox name was easy, and when she did, she realized that Marta had left a little bit out when reciting the family history. The Maddox family had indeed tried, and failed, to start an indigo plantation. When that happened, they’d turned to shipping, but not in the way Michelle had thought.
The Maddox’s used their private cove to offer sanctuary to pirates and smugglers as they made their way up and down the Florida coast. It had obviously proved quite lucrative since it had built them their beautiful home. After the Civil War, the family had turned to more legitimate pursuits, opening retail businesses in St. Augustine.
That business had closed down in the late 1930s when Richard Maddox, the last of the family, had passed away without leaving an heir. The house had been empty until Mark had purchased it five years ago. According to the article she’d read, it had taken quite a bit of renovation to shore up the building and clear out “unwanted visitors,” in the forms of snakes and other crawly things.
Making a mental note to watch where she stepped outside, Michelle hit the copy button, then rewound the microfilm. She paid for her copies as she dropped the film off at the counter. A glance at her watch showed it was a little after three. She hadn’t slept in quite a while and was tempted to go back to the house and hit the sheets.
Waking Sebastian Page 3
