Chasing Circumstance (20 page)

“What’s that?”  I saw a billboard on the side of the road that said something about a haunted castle tour in Central Park.

“Oh yeah, my buddy, Mark, runs that every year.  I used to volunteer there, but life got in the way the last couple of years.  Want to go check it out?”  He glanced over at me.

“Sure!  Do you think they’re still open?”  I was excited.  I had never been to a haunted house before, let alone a haunted castle.

Chace drove to Central Park and stopped in front of Belvedere Castle.  There were three cars parked outside, but other than that, the place looked empty. 

“Are you sure it’s alright?”  I asked Chace as he opened my door.

“Sure, that’s Mark’s truck right there.”  He nodded toward the red pickup we were parked next to.

We walked up to the entrance where a young man dressed as a vampire was sitting.  “I’m sorry, we’re closed.”

“I’m a friend of Mark’s.  Is he around?”  Chace held my hand a little tighter.  I think he felt how nervous I was. 

The vampire took out his walkie talkie and radioed for Mark to come to the front entrance.  A voice answered him back saying he would be right there.

A few minutes later, a man wearing part of a werewolf costume walked up to Chace and punched him in the arm.  “Hey old man!  What brings you around here?”

“Hi, Mark.  This is my girlfriend, Amia.  We were driving by and she mentioned how she had never been in here, so I stopped by to see if there was any chance we might get a personal tour.”  Chace grabbed his arm.  “Not so hard next time!” 

“Hello, Amia, it’s nice to meet you.”  He shook my hand.  “Getting soft in your old age, Chace?  We were just starting some cleanup to get a head start on it for tomorrow, but sure, come on in.  You know your way around, go ahead and take your beautiful Queen on a tour.  I’ll be in the pavilion if you need me.  There’s no one in there and the lights are off, so take this and be careful.”  He handed Chace a very large flashlight.

“Thanks, Mark.  We’ll come find you when we’re finished.  Oh, hey, is the turret open?”

“Yeah, the whole place is open.  Like I said, just be careful, there is a lot of crap lying around.”  Mark picked up a tool box that was sitting next to the entrance and wandered off.

“May I escort you to your lookout my Queen?”  Chace put his arm over his stomach, and bending at the waist, made a grand sweeping gesture with his arm toward the front door of the castle.

“Why thank you, my Dear King.”  I curtsied and took Chace by the arm.  I saw the vampire roll his eyes as we walked past him.

It was really dark as we entered the castle.  I held tight to Chace’s arm while we walked down the grand hallways and peeked in the adjoining rooms.  They really had gone all out with their decorations.  Even though there was no one in there, it was still quite scary.  “It’s spooky in here.”

“You have nothing to worry about; your Knight in shining armor is beside you.”  He let go of my hand and wrapped his arm around my waist instead.

“I don’t believe in fairytales.” I watched the light of the flashlight bounce from wall to wall as we walked.

“Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it’s not real.”  He pulled me closer as we walked.

“Then prove me wrong.”  Though it was dark, and he could not see my face, I looked up at him and smiled an innocent smile.

“I plan to.  Come on, there’s something I want to show you.”  He stepped in front of me, took me by the hand and led me through a small door.  We walked up a long flight of stairs.  “Close your eyes.”

“Why?  It’s dark, I can’t see anything anyway.”  I giggled a little.

“Please?  I promise it’ll be worth it.”  He stopped at the top of the staircase.

“Alright, but if you scare me, I’m going to punch you harder than Mark did.”  Laughing again, I put my hand on his back.

We took a few more steps and I felt him stop again.  “Okay, open your eyes.”

I did as he said and when I opened my eyes, the view in front of me took my breath away.  “Oh my god, Chace!  This is beautiful!”  He was shining the flashlight out onto a pond in front of the castle, and the lights of the city were twinkling in the distance.  “I had no idea our city was this dazzling.  It truly is a sight to see.”  I turned to look at Chace and noticed him staring at me.

“Nothing is as beautiful as you.”  He sat the flashlight on the floor so it shined up into the top of the turret, put his arms around my waist and drew me into his strong embrace.  “Tonight is the beginning of our Once upon a time.  With this kiss, I release you from the spell that has forced your heart to be locked away within the cold solitude of its brick walls.”   I looked into his eyes and noticed they were deeper than I had ever seen them.  There was a truth there, and all of those painful memories I had vowed to let go of, but was still holding on to, were carried away by his kiss. 

Raising his hand to my cheek, he softly caressed it, pushing aside a loose strand of hair that had blown across my face in the gentle, cool night breeze.  Running his fingers lightly down the side of my face to the back of my neck, he delivered my lips to his.  I closed my eyes and was blanketed with the warmth of the love we shared.

Chace stepped back from the window, took off his jacket and laid it across the cold stone of the floor.  “Turn around.”  He reached and unpinned the train from my gown, rolled it up and placed it on his jacket.  Bringing me into his arms again, he looked into my eyes and held me closely as we sunk to our knees. 

His hands moved deftly down my back, unzipping my gown and pulling it from my arms. The light cast soft shadows across my skin and he kissed his way across my shoulders as though he were following a star map to my soul.  Our lips came together and caused the chill of the night air to carry away our breath upon its frosty breeze. 

I reached to pull his shirt from his body and he stopped me.  His hands, gentle upon mine, as he pushed them to my sides and stood up.  Slowly, he removed his shirt, followed by his pants, and stood naked in front of me.  The contours of his muscular body glowed in the soft beams of the flashlight.

Joining me once again, he gently lowered me onto my back, tucked my rolled up train under my head and covered me with his body.  Time and space ceased to exist, and the coolness of the night was chased away by the warmth of our bodies pressed together.  Each touch and every kiss led me further away from my reality and into his dream… To the fairytale he was creating for us.

I gasped as he spread my legs with his own, causing the skirt of my gown to push up my thighs.  The heat of his touch on my hip made goose bumps rise on my skin as he pushed my panties down.  His fingers instinctively found their way to the smoldering embers at the epicenter of my being.  Adeptly, his caress quickly caused the embers to grow into flames that engulfed my body and forced it to erupt in fiery spasms of ecstasy.

Sliding his arms under me, he rolled onto his back and lifted me atop him.  My gown covered our bodies in canopies of soft silk and offered a refuge to our union against the cold night air.  We moved together, in one fluid motion, like the natural spring that fed the pond below us.

With his hands on my thighs, he pushed me back against him and I lifted away in returned motion.  Consumed with an overwhelming desire, Chace sat up and moved my legs so they encompassed his waist.  Wrapping one arm behind my back and placing the other behind himself, he pushed upward from the stone floor, driving himself into the absolute depths of me.  His muscular thighs carried us to a place where the world disappeared.  The only sensation left was that of our souls’ unrelenting demands to breathe life.

I abandoned myself to him completely and accepted his essence as the phenomenal gift that it was.  We found ourselves in that single impeccable instant.  Our hearts raced, our bodies trembled, our spirits collided and only the sound of our breath could be heard. 

“I love you, Amia.”  Chace’s words fluttered like butterfly wings across my lips.

“I know.”  My cheeks were wet with tears as I clung to him.  He had not only found me, he rescued me.  I was new.

After returning the keys to Mark, we drove home holding hands and smiling.  We fell asleep in each other’s arms and woke the next morning to catch our flight to London.  We made it to the airport with time to spare and boarded our flight.  As we sat there waiting to take off, I opened my laptop and wrote in my blog.

“Dear You,

When you stumble upon the place where the sea touches the sand, and you are able to bask in the warmth of the sun, you will discover your nightmares are merely your irrational fears trying to invade your daydreams.  In that place, where your reality and dreams meet, you will find your personal perfection. 

True love’s kiss can transcend all space and time.  It will deliver you from your haunted yesterdays and transport your soul to the hope of tomorrow.  Its warmth and gentleness will soothe and protect you, and it will never be anything less than eternal.

So today, dear readers, I leave you with this question…

Where will your daydreams lead you?

~ Amia”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Chace is upstairs.  He brought our luggage up and then we are going to go pick up Connor.  He wanted to take him out to eat but I told him that you already had pizza waiting for us at the pub and wanted us to come there right away.”  I called Jo on my cell phone while I waited in the car.

“Great cover!  So, tell me all about it!”  Jo had gotten all the work done in the pub in just eight short days.  She had sent photos to my cell phone while we were in London on vacation. 

“He’s coming.  I’ll fill you in later… Oh Okay, Jo. We’ll be there as soon as we pick up Connor.  Love you too!”  I hung up as Chace got in the car.

“Jo’s excited to see ya, huh?”  Chace got in, put on his seatbelt and we left to get Connor.

“I think she’s more excited about seeing your son than she is about seeing us!”  I laughed as I reached over to hold his hand.  “I can’t wait to see the little man myself!  I missed him!”

“Me too!  Though I had a great time with you in London, it’s nice to be home.”  He squeezed my hand and smiled.

A half an hour later we were pulling up in front of Cindy and Dan’s house.  Connor came running out the front door to greet us.  “Daddy Chace!  Miss Amia!” 

Chace got out of the car and scooped Connor up in his arms.  “I missed you, Buddy!  Were you a good boy?”  He nuzzled his neck and gave him lots of kisses.

“That tickews, Daddy Chace!”  He giggled his little boy laugh.  “Yep, I was a good boy!  Reawy good!”  Connor reached for me as I stepped up onto the sidewalk.

“Hi, Sweetheart!  We missed you so much!”  I took him from Chace and hugged him tight to me.

“I miss you too!”  He rubbed his nose against mine.  “Did you bwing me pwesents?”  He held the sides of my face and looked into my eyes with his nose on mine.

“We sure did!  But, we’re going to go see Miss Jo first and have pizza!”  I set Connor down on the sidewalk after hugging him one more time.

“Hi guys.  It was such a pleasure to have him back here.”  Cindy was standing next to Chace.  “Anytime you need us to watch him, we are more than happy to do so.  Here’s his bag.  I’m sure you’re wanting to get home.”  She handed Chace Connor’s bag.

“Thank you so much for taking such good care of Connor.  We owe you dinner.”  Chace shook Cindy’s hand.

“Only if you’re cooking.”  Cindy waved at us as we left.

The drive to the pub was full of chatter.  Connor told us all about his stay with Cindy and Dan, and we told him about our trip to London.  The parking lot at the bar was nearly full when we pulled up.  “Wow!  That’s a lot of people for a Saturday afternoon.  Must be something going on in the neighborhood.”  Chace parked the car, got out and retrieved Connor from his car seat in the back.

“Must be.”  I shrugged my shoulders and followed them into the bar.

As Chace walked through the front door carrying Connor on his hip, everyone in the bar screamed, “SURPRISE!”  Chace took a couple of steps back and almost stepped into me doing so.

“What’s all this… What… How… WOW!”  Chace was at a loss for words as he looked around his pub.  “Did you do this?”  He turned around and questioned me.

“Well, that depends on if you like it or not.”  I smiled and took Connor from him so he could look around.

As he walked through the crowd of friends and neighborhood people that had come to help celebrate his grand re-opening, he looked at every detail that had been changed.  Touching things as he walked past, his smile grew larger and larger.  “I can’t believe it.  It looks exactly like the old photos from when my aunt and uncle owned it!  And you added a dining room?  How did you do all this?” 

“I had a lot of help.  I’ll explain it all later.  For now, just enjoy it.”  I walked up behind him and whispered in his ear. 

“Why?  Why did you do this for me?”  Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned to face me.

“Because I love you.”  I reached up and kissed a tear from his cheek.

“Pwetty, Daddy Chace!”  Connor clapped his hands and bounced in my arms.  “Pizza!  Pizza!”

“Come here, Connor.  I missed you!”  Jo hugged Connor as she took him from my arms.  “You all heard the little man!  Pizza all around!”  She yelled to the delight of the crowd.  “Go on, Amia; explain everything to your man.”  She spoke softly to me before turning and walking away with Connor to get him some pizza.

“How did you do all of this?  This must have cost you a fortune.  What about your house?”  Chace’s questioning ran rampant.

“Like I said, I had a lot of help.  Jo oversaw all of the work while we were on vacation.  She bought the other half of the building for you as a thank you gift for all of the memories we’ve created in here, and I don’t need a house right now.  I can stay with Jo for as long as I like.  I traded most of the work for free advertising anyway.  Gotta love the barter system!”  I wrapped my arms around his neck.  “Now, say thank you and kiss me.”  I looked up at his beaming face.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I absolutely love you, and though I can never repay you for this, I will spend my lifetime trying to.”  He held me tight in his arms and lifted me until my toes were on his.  Kissing me deeply, he walked me backwards until I was pressed against the wall and then he kissed me some more.

“Ew, Daddy Chace!  Oh wait, you wuv each utter so it’s okay.”  Connors voice carried over the noise of the crowd and everyone laughed.

“That’s right, Connor, I love this amazing, beautiful woman!”  Chace yelled loud enough for everyone to hear him and then kissed me again.

“Amia, come sit with Connor, I need to talk to your man about the bill.”  Jo laughed as she yelled across the bar.

“Yes, Ma’am!”  I pulled away from Chace.  “Duty calls.”  With a quick salute, I kissed him on his chin and went to sit with Connor and help serve pizza.

“Hey, can we go in the back and speak privately?”  I overheard Jo speaking to Chace.

“Sure.  Oh, Jo, thank you so much for everything you did.”  He reached down and hugged her.  “We’ll be right back, Gorgeous.”  He looked over his shoulder and yelled to me while he and Jo walked into the back to his office.

Connor sat in his chair behind the bar as I handed out pizza and sodas with the help of Max and Tony.  With the addition of the dining room, we were now able to fit two hundred people in the bar.  People were enjoying the new pool table and video games while others sat in the dining room and caught up with one another.  There was no alcohol allowed at the party, so everyone could enjoy it no matter their age.

“Amia, Chace would like to see you in his office.  I’ll watch Connor.”  Jo came out of the back and took over my place at the bar.

“Alright, is everything okay?”  I hesitated before heading back to talk to Chace.

“It’s just fine.  Go on now, your man needs you.”  She smiled at me before handing Connor a big piece of chocolate cake.  “Here ya go, Connor.  Don’t tell your daddy.”  She winked at him.

I walked to the back and found Chace looking at some paperwork.  “Jo said you wanted to see me?”

“Come here, Gorgeous.”  He pulled at my waist and sat me on his desk in front of him.  “Do you love me?  I mean, really love me?”  His eyes were innocent and sincere as he asked.

“Yes, of course I do.  Are you alright?  Why would you ask such a silly question?”  I put my hands on the sides of his face.

“I just wanted to make sure before I asked you something.”  He picked up the papers he was looking at.  “What do you think about this house?”  He handed them to me.

I looked them over.  Price was great; the neighborhood was between Jo and the nursing home, there was a huge, fenced yard, five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a two car garage and a lot more.  “This looks amazing!  Are you thinking about looking at it?”  I handed the papers back to him.

“Only if you say you’ll move in.”  He took my hands in his. “Amia, I love you and I want the three of us to be a family.”

“Really?  Are you sure?  I mean…”  Chace kissed me and ended my questions.

“Yes, I’ve never been surer about anything.  The three of us are already a family.  We just don’t live together.”  He slid his hands down my waist and held my hips.  “And anyway, that means we can play naked Hide-N-Seek anytime we want.  Come on, Jo said she would watch Connor so we could go look at it.  Her friend is the realtor.”

“Okay, let’s go!”  I was so excited that I jumped off the desk and hit my chin on the top of his head.  “Ow!  Are you okay?”

“Is that a yes then?”  Chace stood up, picked me up in his arms and swung me around.

“Yes!  Yes! Yes!”  I laughed as we spun.

Chace put one arm behind my back and the other under my legs and carried me out to the front of the bar.  “Guess what everyone?  We’re moving in together!”  The crowd cheered.  “You got lil’ man, Jo?”

“Sure do! Go! Tracy’s waiting for you!  I just hung up with her.”  Jo picked up Connor so he could wave to us.

“Silly, Daddy Chace!  Bye! Bye! Bye!”  He waved frantically as I waved back and Chace carried me out of the bar.

We hit heavy traffic on our way to look at the house.  Tracy was in her car when we pulled up and handed us the keys as we approached.  “Hi, Amia.  Here, I have to run.  Take all the time you want and I’ll come get the keys from you tomorrow at your office.  If you make a decision, call me and we’ll set up a meeting.”  Tracy pulled away and left us standing there with the keys.

“Guess she was in a hurry.”  I tossed the keys to Chace.  “Go ahead, you do the honors.”

We looked around the front and back yards before going into the house.  It looked just like the pictures.  There were flower beds around the black, wrought iron fence and the front of the house with a huge tree in the backyard.  “We could build Connor a tree house!”  Excitement swept over Chace as he looked around.  “I’ve never seen a yard this big in the city.”

“It’s gorgeous!  Come on, let’s go inside!”  I pulled him by the arm to the back door.  “Hurry!”  I shook his arm.

“It’s kind of hard to unlock the door with you shaking my arm.”  He laughed and I dropped my grasp.

“Oh, sorry, I’m just excited!”  I squealed like a little girl.

We walked in, and right away, my breath caught in my throat as we entered the kitchen… The glorious kitchen!  It had marble countertops, stainless steel appliances, dark cherry hardwood floors, and it was absolutely stunning!  “Oh my god, Chace!  Look at this!”  We took our time going over every inch of it.  There were no flaws to be seen whatsoever.

“I wonder how sturdy these counters are.”  He walked up behind me, turned me to face him and lifted me to sit on the countertop.

“What are you doing?”  I laughed and playfully pushed him away from me.

“I’m hungry.  Come here.”  Chace dropped to his knees in front of me and stuck his head under my skirt.  Using his face, he pried my knees apart and softly kissed at my cotton panties. 

“Chace, what if…”  He breathed against me and caused me to inhale deeply.

“No one is going to come in here.  Relax.”  He reached, and grasping the roundness of my ass, slid me forward until I was barely on the counter.  My legs rested over his shoulders and I leaned back on my hands.

Pushing my panties to the side, his tongue found my clit and traced little circles around it.  My legs began to quiver with the anticipation of what was yet to come.  With his tongue fully against the wetness of my slit, he moved his head up and down and pulled me tighter to his face.  His tongue darted in and out, and I writhed against it rotating from one ass cheek to the next. 

Running his hands up my stomach, he pinched my nipples, sending frenzied waves of pleasure through my entire body.  My thighs tightened around his head, and I whimpered as I felt the pressure of my orgasm building.  “Don’t hold back.  Let it go.”  His words formed against the inside of my leg.  

He straightened his stance and shifted me onto my back on the counter, my legs still over his shoulders.  “I need you.”  Swiftly releasing his hardened shaft from his jeans, he pulled me toward him, and for just an instant, we looked at each other as he pushed himself inside me.  His rhythm was slow and methodical at first, pulling me with him.  I ground against him, feeling his swollen cock fill my wet walls.  I felt my slickness coating him, making him drive even deeper inside.  His pelvis bone bounced against me, and I moaned loudly, enjoying the sensitivity of my swollen clit being slapped against.  Pushing myself up, I moved my legs to his waist, and he lifted me from the counter.  Stepping to his left, he pressed me against the doorframe of the kitchen door and buried his lips into the curve of my neck.  My fingers in his hair, I let out another low growl as the next waves of orgasm washed over me. 

Shifting my legs to the floor, I stood in front of him and slowly lowered myself to my knees.  I needed to feel him in my mouth, taste myself on him.  Grasping him in my hand, I ran my thumb around the tip, feeling the slickness of my juices on him.  Gradually, I slid my hand down his shaft, and my tongue ran along the smooth underside before sucking him into my mouth.  His thigh muscles jerked and he steadied himself against the door frame with his hands.  Rocking back and forth, he lifted his hips to meet my rhythm and keep time with my steady motion.  “Not like this.”  Chace pulled away from me and took me by the hand.  He looked around, and noticing the staircase, he led me to them.  “Here.”  Standing behind me, he bent me at the waist and lowered me to my knees on the stairs.  “I need to be inside you.”  With one hand on my lower back and the other on his cock, I felt him guide himself inside me.  The wet warmth of my pussy throbbed as he rose up against me.  Holding my hips, he thrust himself in and out of my pulsating walls.  My muscles beat against his in continued fervor until with one final thrust; he gasped and emptied himself inside me.