The Hunt

by Alice Ward

  “I look gorgeous,” I said in amazement.

  “Oh, hell, you didn’t need a dress to tell you that. Now, come here and sit down,” Gran said as she motioned for me to sit at the small vanity table in the foyer.

  I sat, and she started to do my hair. Without a curling iron or any hair accessories, she whipped my hair into a lavishly regal style using only her fingers.

  “Seriously, Gran, what’s with the bibbidi-bobbidi-boo?”

  “This is some fun shit! Who knew.” She seemed giddy as she twirled the long strands of hair into an elaborate design.

  “Yeah, who knew you were a fairy all this time? What the hell is happening?”

  She stopped, her expression angelic and peaceful.

  “Well, it’s not hell, that’s for sure. Maybe it’s heaven or a slice of it, I guess,” she mused.

  I panicked and my heart began to race with fear. “Are you dead?”

  “Not yet, dear,” she cooed.

  “Oh my god.” I knew I wasn’t going to be able to handle any of this.

  “Now listen carefully. I want you to find love. It has to be true love, like the kind of love I had for your grandfather. No bullshit. No assholes. I loved that crazy old fucker until the day he died in my arms. Find that kind of love.”

  “Gran—”

  She shushed me. “When you do find it, every morning you wake up, look at him. Make sure, despite his flaws and the things that make him human, there’s still a glow in your heart for him. There should always be a spark of fire between you. If you ever wake up, and that spark is gone and the fire is dead, you will know you didn’t find the right man. If you wake up and still feel that burning ember within you, no matter what happens and no matter how bad things have gotten, you will know he’s a man worth saving and worth staying in love with.”

  “I—”

  She shushed me again. “I also want you to follow your dreams and never give up no matter how old you get before you get there. Don’t ever stop before you feel like your wishes, hopes, and dreams for yourself have been fulfilled.”

  “How—”

  She lifted a finger, her raised eyebrow shushing this time. “When I’m gone, and no longer with you, I promise you I will haunt you like a ghost. I’ll whoop at you every once in awhile, so you’ll remember that I love you. They’ll be times when you’ll feel me near, and they’ll be times when I’ll feel far away. Don’t be afraid of my death. I’m looking forward to my next adventure because I’ll finally get to be with my own beautiful daughter who I lost so long ago.”

  Tears burned my eyes and she pressed a tissue in my hands.

  “You’re so much like her, and I have been so lucky to raise you, but it’s time for me to be with her now. I look forward to sitting with her and catching up on everything that’s happened Earth-side. I look forward to telling her all about you and how amazing you are. My love is a never-ending circle, Caitlyn. You’ll have to understand that I love you and move on with your life. I want you to start living.”

  No amount of tissues could stanch the flow by the time she was finished.

  She kissed my forehead and disappeared. I looked around the room, nervously searching for her. As I searched, I realized I wasn’t in our home anymore. I walked into a candlelit room with breezy white curtains that billowed from floor-length windows. Standing before me, silhouetted in shadows cast by the candlelight at the other end of the massive ballroom, was a man. KP. He wore an exquisite tuxedo.

  I laughed and said to myself, “Are you serious, Gran? This guy?”

  He approached me, laughing as well. “Yeah, this guy.” He swept me off my feet and into his arms.

  He slowly twirled us around, set me down, and bowed. I wanted to sneer at him and scoff, but it was a dream, so I might as well enjoy it as Gran suggested. I reached out my arms and let him lead me across the floor. We started dancing like Belle and the Beast did in the Disney movie, which must have been Gran’s doing because she loved that movie. I didn’t.

  Our dance quickly became more seductive as he brought me in closer. Our bodies melted into one another’s, and we moved and gyrated with each other. We weren’t being lewd, but we weren’t being subtle either. Now, I was desperately hoping that Gran wasn’t watching. Everything we did was foreplay. The way our bodies oozed over and teasingly moved against the other’s was titillating my nerves, creating searing tension.

  As soon as the music ended, KP leaned in for a kiss. It was warm and seductive. The pull to his embrace, deep and magnetic. He offered his hand once again and walked me out of the ballroom and into a bedroom down the hall. I tried not to snicker. But dream KP seemed very serious and extremely intent on getting me into that room, which was opulent and alluring. Once inside, he turned me around and kissed the back of my neck as he slowly unzipped my beautiful gown. As it dripped down my shoulders, he sprinkled kisses from the nape of my neck to my shoulder blades, sucking and nibbling as he went, making me squirm. He then slipped my dress down to my waist and used his fingers and the palms of his hands to trace the landscape of my back.

  His fingers nimbly danced along the edges of my bra strap.

  “May I?” he whispered in my ear, being a gentleman.

  “Mmm,” was all that came out, as I was shockingly bad at this kind of seduction.

  Even the dream me was a dork in the bedroom, but dream KP didn’t seem to care as he deftly removed my bra and tossed it to the floor. He then shifted me so that I was facing him as he looked at my body. I blushed and tried to push him away.

  “Don’t,” he commanded, “you’re beautiful.”

  I giggled nervously. “I just, this is so weird.”

  “Is this weird?” he asked as he kissed my lips gently.

  “No,” I sighed.

  “Or this?” he said as he kissed my cheek softly.

  I shivered. “Um, pretty G-rated.”

  “Oh?” He leaned in and took one of my aching nipples into his mouth and tugged slightly with his teeth.

  I moaned, no words necessary.

  He then moved to the other nipple as he wriggled me out of the dress, hooking his fingers into my panties as he slid the whole garment off. Within seconds, I was completely bared to him, naked and vulnerable.

  “I never do this,” I confessed.

  “You aren’t doing it, I am,” he cooed as he kissed his way down to my stomach, sending lightning bolts of electricity through my whole body.

  “Ahhhh,” I whimpered.

  He continued down to my legs and inner thighs, spreading them carefully so that I was completely exposed to him. He then stood and carried me to the bed, laying me down gently upon it.

  “Tell me this isn’t happening!” I rasped.

  “It’s not happening,” he answered as he tossed off his tuxedo jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, “so enjoy it.”

  He had a good point. I let myself relax a little. As soon as he was undressed, he lay beside me, kissing me again. I opened my mouth, and his tongue danced with mine. He tasted sweet and felt strong and commanding as he explored places where only his kisses had been. His soft palms grazed over my breasts, flooding me with heat and prickling sensations. His hand drifted slowly down to the place that was aching for his touch. I pushed myself up to meet his wandering fingers, but he remained slow and methodical.

  “So eager.”

  “It’s a dream, we can get to the good stuff without penalty,” I panted, arching into his hand.

  “But this is the good stuff,” he said as his fingers traced patterns over my skin, igniting a fire within me.

  “Ahhhh.” I was back to guttural sounds again.

  He smiled. “Is this what you want?” he asked as his finger slowly slipped lower and touched the folds of my neglected lady parts.

  I closed my eyes. “Better.”

  “How about this?” he asked playfully as he parted my legs and slipped down between them.

  A rough sizzle of electricity traveled across my skin as he tasted me. H
is hot tongue poured over my delicate folds, gently lapping between them as rockets of sensations flew about me recklessly. He started a gentle circular motion that had my insides in knots, making me want to explode. It both tickled and burned, making me ache all over for more. When his tongue thrust inside of me, wet and hard, I gasped and shattered.

  “Oh my god!” I cried as his tongue continued to lap up my ecstasy.

  He stopped for a moment as I cooled down a little.

  “I like being called a god,” he teased.

  “You can’t do that with your tongue,” I scolded playfully.

  There was a devil under his expression. “Watch. Feel.” He accepted my challenge, bathing my pussy with his mouth.

  When I couldn’t take it anymore, I grabbed his hair and begged. “Please!”

  “Please?” He flashed me another sinister sneer. “Please what?”

  I lifted my hips, reaching for him. “I need you inside of me.”

  “I’ll be there in due time, my dear,” he said as he replaced his tongue with his agile fingers.

  He played with the soft tufts of curls above my pussy, making me arch into his gentle assault. As his fingers swirled around me, his lips returned to my nipples that had been longing for him again. As his mouth caressed and tugged, his fingers dove downwards and teased my clit with their expert skill. His fingers teased and circled my sensitive nub, escalating my ecstasy as his mouth made music on my body. Without warning, he inserted a finger inside of me and sent bolts of lightning through my mind, body, and soul.

  As his finger coursed in and out of me, I kissed his mouth, his strong shoulders, and his soft neck. My hot kisses sought out his chest and found his nipples. I lapped and tugged them with my teeth until he cursed, his fingers driving into me harder as his breath heaved in and out of his lungs.

  “I think it’s time,” he panted as he slid off his dress pants and briefs, positioned himself above me, and spread my legs farther apart.

  My body shivered with need, and I could feel the strength of his body and the thickness of his cock as he ran it up my wet slit. His dick was hard and commanding as it slammed into my pussy, making me cry out in surprise and ecstasy.

  “Are you okay?”

  I clung to him, lifting my hips, wanting more. “Please.”

  “Good.” In one deep thrust, he was fully seated, deep within me.

  I wailed as my body stretched and adapted to his size, and the exquisite feeling of his fullness. He kissed me, his weight pressing me into the mattress, our mouths expressing our desire for each other as he started a slow rhythm, moving in and out of my body with a torturous deliberateness that teased and taunted my already ravaged nerves. I clawed at his back, trying to get him to increase his pace, and he understood my desire as his moans punctuated his same heady need.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said as he picked up speed, lifting my legs until they were over his shoulders, changing the angle of penetration. As he dove into me deeper and harder, I shattered and came, quivering and writhing on him. I quaked with the power of my climax and my pussy clenched with delight, sending him to his release, which was hot and glorious. We both lay with one another, basking in the glow of our love.

  He kissed the tip of my nose. “I think I love you.”

  I snuggled closer. “You better.”

  As I closed my eyes, a loud chiming sound startled me. I tried to shake off the irritating noise, but it was incessant. Slowly, my heavy eyelids cracked open and morning light filtered in. Morning? My brain tried to unscramble the sensations assaulting me. I felt the wetness of my climax coating my inner thighs and warm memories of my night with the mysterious billionaire flooded back to me. I then stopped cold as I bolted upright on the couch.

  I looked around the room, flustered, bedraggled, and panting from what I realized only at that moment had only been a dream. I actually climaxed in my sleep. I chided myself for not making finding a boyfriend more of a priority. Because maybe if I had one, I wouldn’t be dreaming of having sex, I would actually be having it. I picked up my phone and silenced the alarm. I was hungover and desperately needed water, aspirin, greasy eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Getting those things was more important than unraveling the tangle my brain was in.

  Unable to fully commit to getting up off the couch, I laid there for a while and relived the dream. While it was embarrassing to have such a vivid fantasy about someone I hardly knew and mostly despised, I laughed at myself for how silly it all was. I’d dreamed of being a princess ravaged by a prince, but more horrible was the fact that the prince was him!

  CHAPTER SIX

  KP

  I woke the next morning after seeing Caitlyn’s paintings, desperate to find a way to capture her. I certainly wouldn’t resort to kidnapping, but I had to do something bold to get her attention. I needed to decode her allure and understand why she held such power over me. She was a waitress in a shit diner. She was an intriguing artist with enough sex appeal to hook me with a look, and enough self-confidence to throw me back into the ocean.

  Plenty of fish indeed… but there will only be one for her when I’m done.

  The prospect of wooing and capturing her intrigued me. Devising plans to entice her into my life had me tossing and turning all night. I felt like I’d gone twenty rounds in the ring. I had to get a grip. I could not let someone I barely knew hold that much power over my sanity.

  The day seemed like a blur. I was busy delivering the bad news about the director’s cut to the director, which of course made him irate. I had to play therapist to talk him back down off the ledge. I then barked at the editor to make sure she stood up to the director and followed my advice and not his. Should this little dance of egos go as planned, the horror-slasher, piece of shit dressed as a poignant tale of terror might be a mega hit.

  I moved through my day in an almost robot manner as I was still gripped by my need to see Caitlyn again. I was a smart man, why couldn’t I untangle this? By the end of the day, I had come up with nothing original or amazing to ensnare her. I slumped into my own uninspired resolve. I had made up my mind to simply revisit the diner. As unimaginative as that sounded, it was all I had. I had my assistant call and confirm that the little waitress would be there. I was in luck, she was working until midnight.

  I stopped at Dean & DeLuca and picked up an excellent dinner for two which included a cheese board, seared salmon, Veuve Cliquot, and truffles for dessert. I drove myself the two and a half hours it took to get to the shitty little diner. I didn’t want my driver along in case I was able to successfully woo the waitress. I wanted the freedom to drive my car to a lodging of some sort, where I could finally fuck her little pussy raw.

  “I would like a table, please,” I said to the mousy waitress with badly dyed hair and a road map face, standing next to Caitlyn.

  I only wished I’d taken out my phone to snap her picture as she saw me walk in. It was wonderful watching the shock and amazement on that gorgeous face. So far, so good.

  I walked in carrying my very large bag from Dean and DeLuca, which I’m sure was quite the curiosity as onlookers gawked. Unfortunately, I was taken to a table that was still sticky with maple syrup or some other kind of tacky substance that stirred up a feeling of nausea I had to swallow down. I looked to the woman who seated me, hoping to God that she would not be my server. There were only a few patrons in the restaurant, but I was the main attraction. Surely, they would assume I was here to see Caitlyn and not this withered crone.

  First order of business was to get rid of the assailing substance that had my jacket sleeve adhering to the table. I didn’t want to ask Caitlyn to do it, that would get us off on the wrong foot.

  “I’m afraid this table needs washing, it’s rather dirty,” I said, trying to look as sincere and kind as I could.

  I didn’t think I did a very good job of hiding my disgust though because the woman turned and shouted, “Cait, this one’s yours,” before huffing off.

  “Thanks, Lind
a,” Caitlyn grumbled under her breath.

  I recognized a few of the other patrons from the other night, and they were gaping at me in astonishment. I guess people never ate at home these days. I usually handled situations like these with an authoritative ease. No one normally bothered me or threw me off my game. I was a master at this, except now, I felt small.

  I watched Caitlyn seem to arm herself with an “I don’t give a fuck about your attitude” attitude. While I expected it, I was sorry to see her take that approach.

  “Hello, it’s nice to see you back, Mr. Preston,” she said with a plastic grin. “I wanted to thank you for the outrageous amount of money you left the other day. I shared it with my coworkers. We’re all very grateful for your generosity.”

  Damn, I wanted her to have the money for herself. Of course she shared it. It was so like her. The darned woman defied me at every turn.

  “That money was for you.” I caught her eye, spearing her with my gaze so she knew I was looking at her, only her. That she was everything.

  “Thank you, but I wasn’t the only one who helped you that night. It takes a village,” she said with a note of sarcasm.

  “Hmmm. I see.”

  She was fidgety and unable to remain still, and that knowledge made me grin. In spite of herself, she was attracted to me and wasn’t doing a very good job hiding it.

  “You know you’re crazy for spending that kind of money on a meal you didn’t even like,” she added, jutting her hip out for her hand to land upon.

  “It’s my money, I can spend it how I please,” I corrected as I continued to look at her, trying not to break our eye contact, which was making her squirm.

  Good. I licked my lips, moistening the bottom one slightly, giving her the put your pussy on me vibe.

  “Besides,” I added, my eyes boring a hole into her soul. “I didn’t spend the money on the meal, I spent it on the view.”

  She took a deep breath. “I already told you that the view is not for sale.”

  “Okay, let’s call a truce. All I came here to do was to ask if you’d join me for dinner and take a selfie with me.” I tried to say this with a straight face.