Page 60 of Hunt

“Do you have towels?” she asked breathlessly.

“In the back,” I replied.

“So, you planned this?” she posed suspiciously.

“No. I mean…yes. The idea came to me about an hour before your shift ended, and I grabbed towels from the rooms upstairs,” I stated with as little detail as possible.

“What rooms? Shower rooms?” she asked curiously.

“Yeah,” I answered vaguely, because the Red Velvet rooms were not only out of bounds for the staff, but the staff weren’t even told about them in the first place. It was an unspoken secret, and only those willing to pay for it.

“Where are they?” she persisted, and I hoped it was only out of pure curiosity, rather than for sinister reasons.

“You can’t get up there without a key,” I said, ignoring her question and waving aside because I didn’t want to discuss that side of the business. I wanted to talk about her.

“Private,” she breathed, gazing out the window at the night lights that became less frequent the closer we drove to the edge of town.

“So, how is school?” Changing the subject, I still want her to believe I wasn’t like the men who frequented those rooms. I didn’t hire women to sleep with me. Mikky, on the other hand, did before he was arrested, but he and I were different men.

“It’s good. I like some classes more than others, but that’s normal. I enjoy the practical marine biology classes where we study the specimens underwater,” she chuckled shyly as if she was worried I’d be bored by her subject tastes.

As soon as I drove out of the city, we were draped in darkness, where the only lights were beaming out from my car's headlights.

“It’ll be cold,” her voice sliced through the dark. Then she giggled excitedly, the most uplifting sound that set my heart on fire. I hope you brought a torch because it will be hard treading through...”

She dropped out halfway through the sentence, and I sensed gloom over her. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I ah, just remembered last time I was here, someone was following me, but maybe that was you,” she said hopefully.

Itwasme.

I followed her through the forest as dirty, vicious thoughts permeated my brain. Frightening this girl that I didn’t know turned me on. I liked her being wary and afraid, suspicious that someone was watching, stalking, but couldn’t see me. I liked having that power over her and enjoyed the intimidation I evoked in this lonely girl in the forest. Vulnerable, naked, alone. But then I got to know her, and my respect for her grew.

But I’ll act dumb on this occasion to see what she’d say. “Following you? I didn’t follow you. I came to the waterhole for a swim and saw a beautiful, shimmering naked selkie frolicking through the water.”

A cute little giggle filled the space in the car, making me smile. “Are you flirting with me?”

“Absolutely,” I answered brutally. “I mean…don’t worry, I’m not going to touch you because that’s the rules.”

“Oh, yes, the rules,” she mumbled sarcastically. “Mr. Kaiser’s rules.” She fell silent for a few beats as I drove deeper into the darkness, surrounded by empty fields that looked like calm black lakes. “So, it wasn’t you then? It wasn’t you who followed me in the forest?”

A cord of guilt wrapped around my heart, catching the fear in her voice. I had to restrain my hand from finding her thigh to comfort her because that would only prompt me to kiss her. “I don’t know,” I replied. “Were we walking in the same direction, but didn’t see each other?”

“I hope it was you,” she sighed, bereaved. “The last thing I needed was another stalker. Or maybe it was Gunner…”

“I have no idea.” Doubts were seeping in with every twig cracking, and I questioned whether someone else was there.

Maybe Gunner. No. He’d reveal himself and surprise me if he were there, unless he didn’t see me.

“Maybe it was Gunner,” I added to make her feel better because let’s face it, Gunner might be a crazy fuck, but he’d never hurt his obsession. And she was used to him staring at her behind a mask.

But then it made me think about that camera planted in her room and the bug in her phone, but I refrained from asking her about it. “Are you okay after getting your phone and glasses broken?” I asked her, and an intensity of silence fell over her, and I was a little confused as to why a coldness overcame her.

“I didn’t say that my glasses were broken,” she said accusingly. “Please don’t tell me you spoke to Shaun even when I told you not to.”

I cringed, needing to get the atmosphere upbeat again because she might dissuade herself from swimming if she didn’t trust me. “I didn’t speak to him. Gunner did.”

“Oh no, what did he do to him?” she panted, distressed.

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