Yet another sneak peek of 2-ché Ex-fiancée
Don't miss it!
Hello PK fan,
Here's another sneak peek of book 2 to whet your appetite. 🍫
Book two, 2-ché Ex-fiancée, is still set to go live November 1st, “Lord willing and the creek don't rise” 🏞️
If you haven't read book one yet, 1-der Of The Thunder, click HERE now!
We hope you enjoy this quick read.
Image by Mariakray from Pixabay
I was already in the kitchen, so I decided to check out the snack situation in the gigantic refrigerator.
I opened a door that looked wide enough for a barn entry, and there on the top shelf was an entire box of Reese’s cups. Jackpot! Jim must’ve had the staff pick up some goodies at the store.
I grabbed a Reese’s and carried it with my mug of Mountain Dew back to the library. I settled down in the comfortable chair to continue reading, but I still couldn’t get back into the story.
I tried to think of something else I could do, then I thought, Jim must have a swimming pool somewhere around this gargantuan palace.
It would be nice to relax in the pool while waiting for the guys to return. I pulled the tassel to summon Alfred… no; I kept confusing his name with Batman’s butler. Bernard, Bernard, that was it.
There was a light tapping on the library door and Bernard glided in. At least he gave me a warning, instead of scaring the bejeezus out of me.
“You rang,” he moaned, sounding like Lurch in The Addams Family. The guy had a sense of humor. That surprised me. I suppose he was trying to help ease my pain.
“Yes, Lurch,” I said. “I mean, Bernard. Is there a pool around this joint?”
“Three of them, actually, sir. If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to the changing room, which contains numerous sizes of swimming shorts as well as towels.”
Three pools? Quite the place Jim has. I followed Lurch toward the back of the house. We entered a large room lined with shelves of clothing, towels, and other pool paraphernalia.
“This door leads out to the pools. The lap pool is to the left, and the others are on the right. Do you require anything else, sir?”
“I’m good, thanks,” I said, as he silently went back the way we came.
I found a pair of palm tree print shorts that would fit and a smaller, private room for changing. After changing, I walked out the door and to the right. I didn’t plan on doing laps, so I wanted to see what the other two pools were like.
The first one was a lazy river pool, and the second one was a huge hot tub. It already felt like 120 degrees out, so I definitely wasn’t interested in the hot tub. I walked back to the river pool and walked down the steps into a temperature that was at least a few degrees cooler than the air. I looked up and realized it was cooler because the pools were covered. The whole area was surrounded by screening to keep out the Florida State Bird, the mosquito.
A small river fed into the pool, flowing from a waterfall among rocks a few yards away.
I stretched out and floated around in the pool, letting the swirling current move me where it wanted.
I lay there, my mind swirling more than the current in the pool.
The image of Natasha’s plane crashing into the water kept repeating like a jingle that’s impossible to get out of your head.
My tears started running down my face and dripped into the pool.
I pictured each separate tear floating on the current until they flowed to the top of the rock waterfall. From there they tumbled down the rocks, dashing along the flowing river, only to crash into the others in the pool once again.
A strange image, I know, right. But weird ideas like that seemed to be how my mind worked, especially when I was depressed.
I floated for an hour before deciding I’d had enough. My fingers looked like prunes, so I climbed out, grabbed a towel, and changed clothes. Bob called as I grabbed my phone to go inside.
“Hey, PK. It looks like the incident we are dealing with has taken a turn for the worse, so we are probably going to be gone for at least a day, maybe longer. But don’t worry, I called Camilla to come over and provide security for you. Between her and Bernard, you should be well protected from any attempts by Boyko’s men.”
Don’t worry? I hadn’t been worried until he mentioned Camilla. “Are you sure that’s necessary?” I asked, hoping to avoid having to see her at my lowest point.
“Absolutely. The more I hear about this Boyko character, the more dangerous he sounds about anyone who has wronged him. Especially shaming him in front of his men. He sounds ruthless. And as much as we want to be there to watch over you, Camilla will have to do until we get back.”
Just great! Then I had a thought. “What about Lolita? Couldn’t she come instead?”
“I couldn’t reach her. I’m afraid your ex is going to have to be the one to watch over you. But only until we can get back. She should be there soon. How are you doing, PK?”
“Not good. I still feel like the ground has opened up and swallowed me whole. But thanks for asking,” I said.
“I know it’s going to take some time, but it will get better, I promise. I’ll see you soon, buddy. Be safe.”
My first thought after hanging up was, How am I supposed to be safe with Camilla here? Originally she hated me for breaking up with her, and then she was jealous that I was with Natasha. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was as ready to shoot me as Boyko was.
If I was going to have to face Camilla, I would need something to fortify me. I pulled the nearest tassel and Bernard arrived shortly after.
“What kind of beer do you have in this gin joint, Bernard?” I asked.
“There is quite a selection in the cooler. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.”
We walked into a large den with all white furniture and an interesting paint scheme of white wainscot with black walls above. The wall opposite the door was all white with shelves on each end. Bernard walked over to the shelves on the left, and grabbing the edge he swung it out to reveal a large glass panel with numerous cans and bottles of beers.
“Take your pick, sir,” he said with a sweep of his arm.
I was amazed at the selection of beers on display, but I saw a bottle of Charles Wells Bombardier. That was the first beer I ever tasted. “How about a Bombardier?” I asked Bernard, pointing at it.
“Of course, sir. Nice choice,” he said, opening the glass door and grabbing a mug and the Bombardier. He carefully poured it so that there was just the right amount of head and handed me the frosty mug. I took a sip, and was taken back to a time when my grandfather would sneak me a sip of his beer from back home as he would say.
“Do you require anything else, sir?” Bernard asked.
“Maybe the book I was reading in the library, if it’s not too much trouble,” I said, feeling weird that I was asking someone else to get a book that I could have gotten myself. But I could see where Jim could get used to this.
“Of course, sir. Lunch will be served in an hour. We will set the dining table for yourself and Officer Lopez.”
I resisted the urge to tell him to serve us in two different rooms. Instead, I said, “Thank you, Bernard. That will be fine.”
As Bernard walked out the door to get The Hobbit, I found a chair near a window and sat down to enjoy the view of a nicely tended yard. The chair was stark white, with black piping and throw pillows in each of the two colors.
In just a few minutes I heard the light tap of Bernard returning with the book. I thanked him, and began once again to read my favorite story. Between the beer, the wonderful view, and the tale of fantasy, I was finally able to relax.
In fact, I felt so relaxed that I fell asleep in the chair. I had a dream that Natasha was caressing my face and telling me that everything would be okay. Trust me, I will make it all better, she whispered into my ear and then kissed me.
I woke up, startled because the kiss felt so real. My vision was still blurred from sleep, and when I looked over, there she was! “Sweetheart, you’re here!” I said, kissing her. Then my vision cleared and instead of seeing Natasha, I saw Camilla.
“What? How?” I sputtered.
“It’s okay, baby, I am here for you,” Camilla said. “Don’t you worry about a thing, chico, I will take good care of you.”
God save me, but between the depression, the longing for Natasha, and the alcohol, I was in a bad place and gave in to Camilla’s assurances that she would make it all better.
“Have another beer, Papi,” she said, bringing me another Bombardier and a wine cooler for herself.
We continued to kiss and drink, and kiss and drink some more. The desire for comfort and security continued to grow in me, until I felt the memory of habit take over and we made love there in the pure white chair.
We hope you enjoyed this fun tidbit, and if you haven't bought book one, 1-der Of The Thunder, click HERE to grab it now.
Happy reading,
BK MacKay