31 Days of Winter

by C. J. Fallowfield

  ‘Want me to sleep over? Keep the call going?’

  ‘Not with that sort of talk and not unless you want to watch me masturbating with my Body Wand while dreaming of him. Actually, don’t answer that, as that was supposed to put you off.’

  ‘Now who’s the complex tease? I’m going to have to crack mine out of the shrink wrap myself.’

  ‘You haven’t used it yet?’ I asked, aghast.

  ‘I was too busy with the eggs when you left Monday and Mollypalooza happened on Tuesday, so there was no need for it until now.’

  ‘Are you going to tell Steve?’

  ‘Well, she’s agreed to try a threesome with him at the weekend. He’s never had one before so he’s up for it.’

  ‘You’re not seriously going to date them both concurrently and in the same bed?’

  ‘Why not? He’s the best guy I’ve been with, and her for a woman, I can have my cream filled donut and eat it and I already know what those single flavours taste like. To have them combined would be something amazing.’

  ‘Stop with the cream donut references, for the love of God,’ I groaned as I took her to the kitchen and opened another bottle of wine.

  ‘Are you going to be ok, Ellie? I could always ask for time off and come up there and stay with you if he’s going to be a complete dickhead.’

  ‘That’s really sweet of you Brooke, but I’m not sure you could get here with this snow at the moment anyway. Plus, I really have started writing a novel and I’d like to at least have a few days of trying to carry on with it.’

  ‘O yes, I gave you the idea didn’t I? I want a mention in the acknowledgements, and a signed personalised first edition for when you’re rich and famous and I can sell it and buy myself my own Pied-à-Terre.’

  ‘If I was that rich and famous I’d buy you a house, Brooke.’

  ‘Ah babe, you’re so sweet. So what’s your plan for the rest of the night?’

  ‘Well this wine’s going down rather well, so I’m thinking hammered dance and karaoke party, then bed to masturbate.’

  ‘Let’s karaoke together,’ she squealed with a clap of her hands.

  ‘How much have you had?’ I asked as I looked at her.

  ‘Bottle and a half slacker, neck some down and I’ll pick the first tune.’

  I collapsed on the sofa an hour later with a hoarse throat and sore feet from dancing around as we belted out some of our favourites together, and we had a tearful goodbye with a promise to do it again at the next opportunity. I lay there with the room spinning and watched the fire dying. I’d managed to keep it going with a few hefty logs, but figured fire and copious amounts of alcohol didn’t mix well so hadn’t touched it since. I squinted at my watch to see it was half past twelve and unsteadily stood up giggling and saw the lights in the boathouse were still on. I made my way over to the kitchen and drunk dialled him.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ he answered immediately.

  ‘It’s a new day, Mister. … Mister …. I don’t even know your last name, Mr. Dan,’ I giggled. ‘New day, new question.’

  ‘Ellie, are you drunk?’ he asked sternly.

  ‘Damn, you sound so sexy on the phone,’ I slurred. ‘I have a question for you.’

  ‘How much have you had, Ellie?’

  ‘About two bottles of wine.’

  ‘That’s a bottle and a half too many.’ I could hear the annoyance in his voice.

  ‘Ooooo, are you going to “Miss Baxter” me, Dan? Tell me off for being a naughty girl?’

  ‘I’m worried about you falling over and hurting yourself, or choking in your sleep.’

  ‘You’re worried about me?’

  ‘Always,’ he sighed.

  ‘All part of the service?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘When you said that you hadn’t had sex for three years, had you kissed anyone? Proper kissing, amazing kissing, like when you kissed me?’

  ‘No, no kissing, let alone amazing kissing.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr. … Complex. That’s your name, Dan Complex. You’re an enema.’

  ‘An enema?’ he chuckled. ‘I think you mean an enigma, at least I hope so.’

  ‘Enigema, that’s what you are, Mr. Complex. A riddle to be solved. I’m going to Poirot your sexy arse if it kills me.’

  ‘Ellie, you sound very drunk.’

  ‘Hmmm,’ I sighed as I slouched over the island, suddenly very tired.

  ‘I’m coming over. Make sure the key’s out of the door.’

  I heard the phone click and just let it rest in my hand as I stared at it. Damn it, he was coming over when I was drunk and unsexy? Why had I rung him? I remembered hearing the door open and feeling a hand stroking my hair, then I heard him sigh my name as I blacked out.

  Day Ten

  Ellie

  I woke up in bed, the room was still slightly spinning and I wondered how the hell I’d made it up here. The last I remembered was collapsing face down on the kitchen island. I put my hands over my eyes and suddenly sat up, ignoring the tumbling of spanners in my head and groaned as I remembered I’d drunk dialled him. Damn it, what had I done? What had I said?

  ‘You’re finally awake,’ came his deep voice.

  ‘O shit,’ I groaned and opened my fingers and looked around to find him sitting on top of the duvet next to me, leaning back against the headboard with a cup of coffee in his hand. I suddenly looked down and realised I had no top on and was braless, and quickly grabbed the duvet and covered up my chest.

  ‘Don’t worry, we didn’t do anything. I just thought you’d sleep better without it on,’ he shrugged as he looked at me. I reached down under the duvet and sighed with relief to find my knickers were still in place. ‘You think I’d take advantage while you’re unconscious?’

  ‘I’d like to think not, but I don’t know you very well, now do I?’

  ‘You know me better than most people. You need something to eat.’

  ‘No thanks,’ I replied with a shake of my head, then groaned and clutched it again with one hand as the other still gripped the duvet covering my bare breasts.

  ‘You emptied your stomach last night, a couple of times, you need to eat something,’ he sighed as he rose with an unexpected elegance from the bed. I noticed he was barefoot, wearing his jeans and a cream fitted long sleeve t-shirt which clung to his body. Hung-over or not, I didn’t need any recovery time to react favourably to that.

  ‘I was sick?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Not in the bed?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘O God, not on you?’

  ‘Nearly. I carried you to the toilet and held your hair back while you cried, waited until you finished, then I undressed you and carried you to bed.’

  ‘O God, I’m so sorry. That’s way beyond your job description.’

  ‘I wasn’t doing my job. I care about you, and you could have choked to death on your own vomit if I hadn’t been here. Less to drink in future, please. You need a cold shower to wake you up.’

  ‘No way,’ I shook my head again and slapped my forehead as he marched around to my side of the bed.

  ‘Yes way. Get up and get in there, or I’ll carry you myself.’

  ‘Yeah, like you’d dare. I’m half naked under here and I …’ I screamed as he yanked the duvet back and swung me up into his arms and carried me to the bathroom as I kicked my legs and slapped his chest with my hands. I was only wearing a tiny pair of knickers and he was handling me like a bloody cave man. As my stomach rolled again I slapped one of my palms over my mouth and thanked God he hadn’t tossed me over his shoulder this time.

  ‘Nice locket,’ he smiled as his eyes dropped down to my bare chest, but I couldn’t answer other than to give him a glare. ‘Shower,’ he ordered as he dropped me in it, propping me up in the corner of the tiled area. He stepped back and turned it on full blast, freezing cold full blast that I couldn’t escape from, and I screamed as he marched out. I had to walk through the full downpour of arctic water to get to
the dials and turn them to warm, and shivered as I came back to life. He was right though, it had woken me up properly and made me feel a bit more human, but I was as confused as ever. He’d looked after me all night, when he didn’t have to, and he hadn’t made me feel as if he were trying to touch me up by carrying me in here half naked. He was going to drive me insane. I stepped out, dried off and pulled on some fresh underwear, my jeans and a jumper. I tied up my squeeze dried hair into a pony tail and stepped out of the bathroom to the smell of bacon sizzling and headed downstairs.

  ‘You’re cooking?’

  ‘I can do breakfasts, that’s about the extent of my culinary prowess.’

  ‘Don’t forget your sandwiches and soup and the ping meals.’

  ‘Ping meals?’ he asked as he looked at me confused.

  ‘Ready meals that ping in the microwave,’ I smiled.

  ‘Sit,’ he ordered, gesturing to the island with the spatula. I gulped as I pictured the last time we’d been at this island, when he’d been eating me. ‘Feeling better?’

  ‘O, ermmm yes, a little. Though I don’t appreciate the way you did it,’ I scowled as I sat facing his back as he stood at the hob.

  ‘I don’t care, as long as it worked. It’s a beautiful day and you’re going to come for a walk with me in the snow to clear the cobwebs, and see the amazing view from the top of the hill behind us.’

  ‘But it’s nearly lunch time, don’t you have to go out?’

  ‘I can’t. The loch’s freezing up and my boat’s not equipped to deal with that.’

  ‘What if there was an emergency?’

  ‘I’d call the air ambulance, or Pete, Pete the pub as he’s affectionately known by the locals, has a boat that can cut through the ice. Here, eat.’ He turned and handed me a plate of sausage, bacon, eggs, and some buttered toast.

  ‘I’m not sure,’ I sighed as I looked at it and my stomach churned.

  ‘It will do you good. Trust me.’

  ‘You speak from experience?’

  ‘That’s another personal question, and you’ve had yours for today.’

  ‘Responding to my question as to whether you were going out in inclement weather is hardly revealing something personal,’ I sighed with a roll of my eyes as he leaned back on the counter and watched me, with a smile on his face.

  ‘No, but the one you asked me last night when you rang me was.’

  ‘O shit. That wasn’t a dream? I really rang you while I was drunk?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And you answered a personal question?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What was it?’

  ‘No deal. Not my fault you can’t remember the question or answer. Eat.’

  ‘Aren’t you having any?’

  ‘I will once you start.’

  ‘Then I better start.’ I tentatively put some bacon in my mouth and nodded as I chewed and realised it tasted good and I was ok. He smiled and turned around and starting plating up his own.

  ‘It’s good,’ he nodded as he turned to see me clearing my plate.

  ‘Yes,’ I mumbled through a mouthful. ‘O my God, you have nearly a whole pack of bacon and sausage on there,’ I exclaimed as I looked at his plate.

  ‘I’m a big boy. I have big things to fill,’ he shrugged with a faint smile.

  ‘You’re very chilled today,’ I observed. This was the Dan I really liked, the playful mischievous Dan. I also liked the holding my hair back while I puked, undressing me, putting me to bed and watching over me Dan. Not to mention the kissing me, multiple orgasm giving Dan. He wasn’t a lost cause yet.

  ‘Am I not normally chilled?’ he asked as he tucked in.

  ‘No,’ I laughed. ‘Some days you could be related to Captain Cranky.’

  ‘Your boss?’ he looked up at me slightly offended.

  ‘Well, you could. You can go all snappy and then you turn off your human side. I like this version of you better.’

  ‘I turn off my human side?’ he repeated with a frown on his face.

  ‘Sorry, a bit extreme, but yes. Sometimes you seem so alive and full of happiness and then suddenly it’s like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, not that they’re not broad enough shoulders to bear the weight, but you’re more fun to be around like this.’

  ‘Then I’ll try harder. Just for you, Miss Baxter.’ This time he gave me a sarcastic smile and we both laughed. ‘Thank you for my dinner last night. It was very good.’

  ‘You ate that in one sitting as well didn’t you?’ I asked as I got up and grabbed my plate and headed over to the sink.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Then I really hope I purchased enough food to see us through until we can get out, what if we run out altogether?’

  ‘I’d just eat you,’ he replied and I dropped my plate with a clatter into the sink at the sexual innuendo. ‘You seem nervous this morning.’

  ‘No, just a little out of sorts,’ I advised as I rinsed my plate with trembling fingers and put it in the dishwasher.

  ‘Are you up for a walk?’

  ‘I can give it a try. I’d like to charge up my iPad first so I can take some pictures.’

  ‘I’ll go and get some more walk appropriate clothes on and come back for you in an hour. Dress warmly.’ He stood up, headed to the door and left.

  I looked at his empty plate and coffee mug just sitting on the island, what did he think I was? Some personal assistant, someone to cook most of the meals and clear up after him? I set the dishwasher on and grabbed myself a well overdue coffee and went upstairs, put the iPad on charge then got changed. I put my thermals on under my outfit and some thick socks, then went over to my laptop and made a list to go through with Dan of what I thought the owner needed to sort, to make this place even more perfect for guests. I printed it out, left it on the side and headed downstairs with my iPad and boots when I heard him knock. I gestured for him to come in as I sat on the bottom step and laced up my boots. He stood on the inside mat waiting for me, holding his ski jacket for me again.

  ‘Ready?’ he asked.

  ‘Yes,’ I nodded as I stood up and walked over.

  ‘Turn around,’ he ordered as he held the coat out.

  ‘No hair sniffing please, that got you in a whole world of trouble last time.’

  ‘But you smell so good,’ he smiled before I turned.

  ‘Of what?’

  ‘Ellie,’ he replied as he pulled it on for me, careful not to stand as close this time.

  ‘And that’s a good smell?’ I asked as I zipped it up.

  ‘It is to me.’

  ‘Well you smell good, too.’

  ‘Of what?’

  ‘Laundry, spice, wood smoke and s ….’ I cut myself off as the word “sex” was about to roll off my tongue. ‘Dan,’ I shrugged as I turned around feeling myself go a bit pink.

  ‘S … Dan?’ He arched an eyebrow as he looked down at me.

  ‘I thought I’d start calling you Stan, it’s appropriate for your old grumpy side.’

  ‘So if you call me Stan, it’s my cue to lighten up?’

  ‘Yes. Let’s go. I’m too hot wearing all this in here.’

  ‘You’d be hot anywhere,’ he replied as he put a hand in the small of my back and ushered me out. Wow, what a difference a day really makes, I thought. He indicated for us to walk to the right of the house, following the trail I’d been running until it became too cold and treacherous.

  ‘Wow, it’s so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a stunning view,’ I sighed as I looked out over the half frozen water.

  ‘Me neither,’ he replied in almost a whisper, and when I looked up at him he was looking at me again, then quickly looked away. ‘You’ll be even more amazed with the view at the top,’ he added as he walked ahead. I smiled, he was really attracted to me, maybe as much as I was to him.

  ‘You’ll have to slow down, you have really long legs,’ I huffed as I ran to catch up with him.

  ‘Would you like me to carry you, Mi
ss Baxter?’

  ‘All part of the service?’ I giggled.

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘No thank you, I think I need the exercise to wear off all that alcohol.’

  ‘Do you normally drink alone?’ he asked as he slowed his pace to mine.

  ‘I wasn’t alone.’

  ‘I’m sorry, what?’ he turned to look at me with a shocked frown.

  ‘Facetime,’ I advised. ‘With my best friend, Brooke.’

  ‘All night until you rang me?’ he asked, amazement laced through his voice.

  ‘Most of it, yes.’

  ‘What do women talk about for that long?’

  ‘All sorts. We talked about her latest conquest, then sex, how I was getting on up here and about y … we had a karaoke party for the last part of the evening. That’s the last I remember.’ I wasn’t about to say we’d spent an hour discussing him.

  ‘You sing?’

  ‘No,’ I laughed. ‘I try, it’s fun. You don’t do karaoke?’

  ‘No,’ he replied looking at me horrified.

  ‘So what do you do for fun?’

  ‘Keeping fit.’ He guided me to the right, up a steep incline through a gap in the trees.

  ‘That’s not fun, that’s work.’

  ‘Not for me, I enjoy it. So Brooke has conquests rather than relationships?’

  ‘She likes a certain amount of freedom, she’s not ready to settle down.’

  ‘But you are?’

  ‘I was engaged to be married and planning on kids, what do you think?’

  ‘That you’re ready, you just haven’t met the right man. So Brooke and her conquests, tell me more.’

  ‘Why are you so interested in Brooke?’ I enquired, surprised to feel a twinge of jealousy.

  ‘I like hearing you talk, and your face lights up when you talk about her.’

  ‘It does,’ I panted as we carried on upwards.

  ‘Yes, your dimples come out. So Brooke has lots of partners?’

  ‘Yes, she’s always been more adventurous than me, plus she’s bi, so she has a bigger pool of opportunity to pick from.’

  ‘You’re not bi-sexual?’

  ‘Me? God no, I’m strictly a man girl.’

  ‘An arsehole’s girl,’ he muttered with a grunt. ‘He can hardly be classed as a man.’