Page 12 of Tony

She got out of the car and quickly pulled her suitcase and the bags of groceries out of the trunk. It was cumbersome, but she did not want to make another trip back to the car. Awkwardly making her way to the front steps, she finally reached the porch. Once under the porch roof, she looked back, surprised to see that her windshields were already covered with snow. Finding the key, she unlocked the front door and it swung open. She stepped in, trying to maneuver her suitcase in front of her. Tripping, she landed on her knees on top of her luggage, her long blonde hair falling in her face.

Huffing, she pushed herself up trying to move the suitcase while dropping the groceries onto the floor. Kicking the door shut with her foot, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around.

Oh, my. This is perfect, she thought, heaving a sigh of relief. When Mr. Marks had offered her the vacation cabin, she never questioned him what it would be like. Jennifer had her wondering what she was getting herself into, but this seemed like a dream.

Small and rustic, it still oozed charm. To the left was a long living room with exposed beams in the vaulted ceiling. The room went the full length of the cabin, with sliding doors leading out to the back. A stone fireplace with built-in bookcases took up much of the left wall. An overstuffed sofa sat in front of the fireplace with two worn leather chairs flanking it. Stepping over her suitcase, she moved into the room. The large window at the front porch let in little light with the storm, but she could imagine that in better weather, the morning sun would stream in. The dark wood floors held braided rugs. She flipped a switch on the wall and the lamps sitting on the end tables lit.

Turning, she saw an old wooden dining table and chairs on the opposite side of the front door and a kitchen further back. Walking into the kitchen, she saw that it was old, but gleaming. She imagined the Marks family when their children were little, running through the house and enjoying vacations here.Vacations. With family.Having never experienced a vacation, she felt a pang of envy, but pushed it down, determined to have her first vacation even in the middle of a snow storm.

Rounding back out of the kitchen, she moved further and found two doors. The first one opened into a bathroom, not small but not opulent. A single sink, toilet and bathtub, and linen closet were there. She reached over, pleased to see water rushing as she turned the knob. Quickly using the facilities, she eyed the tub longingly.First thing on my vacation list—a long hot soak.

Moving to the only other door, she found the bedroom. Quaint, with a queen-sized bed, night stands, and dresser, she flopped down on the bed for a moment, reveling in the comfort.Mine. All mine. At least for the weekend.

Getting back up, she quickly put her grocery items into the kitchen and dragged her suitcase into the bedroom.One bedroom? I guess the Marks’ children must have slept in the living room.Imagining a cabin in the mountains as a child, she thought that spending the nights on the pull-out sofa or sleeping bags must have been an adventure.

Turning on the water to fill the bathtub, she poured just a little bath oil in before walking back to the living room to look out at her car in the driveway. It was buried in snow but as safe as she knew how to make it. Going back to the bathroom, she stripped and settled into the tub, letting the warmth and aroma of the scented oil soothe her. Slipping in her earplugs, she listened to the melodic sounds of music, taking her to a peaceful place that she had not known in weeks.

As always, images of Tony filled her mind, but she pushed them away.I’ll never be good enough for him. Whatever he needs or whatever he’s looking for…it’s not me.

* * *

Tony’s GPS had him turning on a non-existent road between two trees. He’d given up seeing the road, relying on instinct and training, moving slowly. Finally, it looked as though he were there. Moving between the trees in what could have only been the path, his headlights finally illuminated a cabin in a clearing. Lights were on from the inside and he saw a snow-covered car in the front. Parking next to it, he hauled his duffle bag from the back, as well as his supplies. Walking over to the snowy vehicle, he gave it a quick swipe with his hand and saw that it was Sherrie’s car.Thank God.. So why hasn’t she been answering her phone?Not knowing if he wanted to spank her or kiss her, he made his way up to the front door.

He knocked, but immediately thought that she might be frightened. “Sherrie,” he called. No answer. He knocked again. No answer.

He tried the doorknob and found that with just a hard jiggle, it came unlocked.She’s out here with virtually no security, not even a front door that locks properly.Stepping inside, he set his things down and glanced around, his gaze seeing and categorizing everything. As he shut the door behind him, he saw that there was a deadbolt that she had not secured.A spanking is definitely first on my list, he thought angrily.

“Sherrie, it’s Tony,” he called out. No answer. Seeing light from a partially open doorway that was just behind the kitchen he stalked over and looked in.

Sherrie was lying in the bathtub, eyes closed with earplugs from her Ipod in her ears. Her long, blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy knot, tendrils escaping along the side of her face. His gaze raked down her body, rosy nipples peeking from the water.

Knowing he should turn and walk away, his feet seemed rooted to the floor. His dick swelled painfully in his jeans, straining the zipper. Even that simple act of tamping down his desire seemed foreign to him. A master at controlling his body as well as his emotions, he was not used to getting a hard-on just from looking at a naked woman. He allowed himself to get off when he needed anonymous sex, but could not remember the last time he had trouble controlling his dick.

Starting to back out of the doorway, he saw her eyes open and before he could say anything she moved faster than anyone he had ever seen.

Screaming, she jumped up, the earbuds popping out as her feet slipped in the tub, sending her backward, her head going under the water.

Tony rushed forward, trying to grasp the slippery women while dodging her flailing arms. One of her hands slammed into his nose as he pulled her out of the tub before slipping on the wet floor, somehow managing to keep her from hitting her head as he landed on his back. Her wet, naked body was plastered against his as she continued to wiggle to get free.

“Stop,” he ordered, knowing there was no way he could keep his erection from pushing into her stomach. Standing, he pulled her up with him, setting her on the bathroom rug while grabbing the towel from the toilet lid.

“Sherrie, it’s me,” he shouted over her screams as she tried to see through her dripping hair and cover herself at the same time.

Realizing who had just plucked her naked from the bathtub and was now standing in front of her holding a towel up to give her some sense of modesty, she glared up into his face.

If looks could kill, I’d be incinerated,he realized.

6

Sherrie stood in the bathroom, staring into the mirror. She had not planned on washing her hair but after the dunking in the bath-oil water she had no choice, and her wet, combed hair hung down her back.Oh Jesus, he pulled me naked from the tub. How the hell do I face him now?Looking at her reflection, she saw her pajamas. A soft flannel set that covered her head to toe.Not exactly sexy. No, that doesn’t matter. I wasn’t here for entertaining.Gripping the counter with white knuckles, her mind whirled.What the hell is he doing here? How did he find me? And why?Pursing her lips tightly, she thought,Another rescue. That’s what he’s doing. I’m nothing but a rescue mission to him—again!Eyes snapping, she pushed off the counter and prepared to face him.

Tony had put away the provisions he had brought after making a cursory tour of the small cabin when Sherrie appeared out of the bathroom. Covered in flannel with only her tiny toes peeking out completed her comfortable ensemble, but it did little to blank out the image of her curvy, naked body. Wet hair, now combed and pulled away from her face allowed him to see that she was angry.

Putting his hands up, he said, “Before you get your panties in a wad, you’ve got some explaining to do.”

“Me?” she sputtered. “Me?” she repeated, unable to think of anything else to say.

“Yes, you. You leave Richmond without telling your friends of your plans. You haven’t watched the news lately, so you completely missed that the snow storm of the winter was coming our way. Your phone has been off for the past several hours, keeping anyone from checking on you. I get here to make sure you’re all right and all it takes is a jiggle of the doorknob to get in since you forgot to turn the fuckin’ deadbolt. What if it had been someone else besides me?”

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