Page 27 of Scary In Love
16
Mason
WeopenearlieronSundays, so there’s no time to waste. I grab Jenna’s hand and lead her through the start of the haunt, past the briefing area, and straight through Lady Miller’s drawing room.
Even though the actors won’t be on site for another hour, you can still feel their presence—or the presence of something—in these dusty old rooms.
I’ve never really believed in ghosts, though I’ve spent plenty of time in old London pubs and theatres, abandoned buildings and old film-sets for commercial shoots. You’d think if they were real, I’d have seen one by now, but this house has a way of making you feel like there’s always something lurking around the corner.
When I first moved in, it was a little unsettling, and it took me a few days to get comfortable being here alone. Now the random creaks and noises don’t bother me so much. Who am I to mess with any spirits who’ve been here since long before I was born?
We take a side door that’s off limits to haunt guests, and head along the corridor to the office where I helped her with her knee. How is it possible that was only two weeks ago?
From the look on her face, I can tell she’s disappointed.
“I’ve already been in here,” she pouts.
“You’ll see more of the house later. I want to run through a few things first.”
I’ve got a million ideas for the unused rooms, but I need to narrow them down without giving too much away. For this to work, and for Jenna to get the most out of our time together, it has to be a night full of surprises.
I pull out the chair on the opposite side of my desk. “Take a seat.”
Jenna sits with her back straight, hands folded neatly in her lap, and I wonder if she’s more nervous than she’s letting on. I only want to make her nervous when she’s consented to it, which is exactly why this conversation is so important.
“Is this about these mysterious ideas you were hinting at?”
“Maybe,” I shrug, sitting in my own chair.
“Mason,” she whines, throwing her head back. “Just tell me already. I could barely sleep wondering what tricks you have up your sleeve.”
Oh, I have so many tricks, but I’m having too much fun playing with her. I lean my elbows on the desk and rest my chin on my clasped hands.
“I have a proposition for you, but I want to make sure you know what you’re agreeing to.”
“And that is…?”
“I want to design a custom experience for you. Strictly one-on-one.”
Her face twists through various expressions before landing on confused. “You want to haunt me alone?”
“Something like that. On Halloween night, you’ll come up here, and we’ll play a game. Think of it like Trick or Treat, the after-dark version.”
She must blink a thousand times, her chest heaving as my words sink in. “Are you saying…”
I lean forward until my eyes are level with hers. There can be no mistaking my meaning here.
“I want to scare the fuck out of you, Jenna. And then I want to fuck the scared out of you.”
Her jaw drops, and her eyes widen before her lips roll inward and her cheeks turn a pretty shade of pink. Oh, yes. She understands me just fine.
“Let me get this straight,” she says, drumming her fingertips on her knees. “You’re offering me a night of creepy sex in your creepy old house?”
“I never said the sex would be creepy,” I laugh.
“It’s kind of implied, isn’t it?” she says, lowering her voice and cocking her head. “Mysterious stranger. Mysterious house. Mysterious sex plans. Don’t worry, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m into creepy shit.”
I had noticed, and I fucking love it.
