Snatched, page 7
“Great idea.”
His father made himself a coffee and one for Blayze’s mom and took them back to their bedroom, leaving Blayze to continue. After some time, both parents graced his presence, dressed warmly with sweaters on, ready for an afternoon in the cold. The parade was due to start at midday, and they had decided to go and see that first before coming back for lunch. Blayze knew from the message he had received that with no new leads, and with all the parks in Orlando being closed for the day, he had the whole day to relax and just be with his family. No one was being snatched today.
They didn’t stay at the parade for long because of Blayze’s mom’s legs not doing so well, and as the streets were very crowded, there was nowhere for her to sit down. They made their way back to the apartment and decided they would sit in comfort in front of the television and watch the rest of the parade that way. Blayze had cooked the rest of the lunch before the parade finished so that it was ready to eat straight away.
“This smells beautiful, son,” his mom said after taking in a deep breath.
“I hope you enjoy. It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for this many people.”
“You learned from the best,” his father said, looking over at his mom, who just smiled back and took his hand. “Let’s say grace.”
After a brief prayer from each of them saying what they were thankful for, the room fell silent as they all tucked into Blayze’s cooking. All Blayze could hear were the scrapes from the knives and forks as they all ate, along with occasional appreciation from his mom.
“That was needed,” Blayze said as he placed his cutlery down on his empty plate.
“Just stunning,” replied his mom. “That’s made me feel rather sleepy now, though. I think I’ll have to have a nap.”
Blayze watched as his father aided his mom back to the bedroom. He then gathered up all the plates and took them to the sink.
“Leave them to me, son,” his father said, reappearing in the kitchen. “You cooked. It’s only fair I do my bit.”
“Let’s do it together. It’ll be done much quicker that way.”
They agreed and had a good chat while cleaning the kitchen about Blayze’s new nickname ‘The Closer’, his mom’s illness and his brother.
Once they had finished, Blayze went for a walk around the city to burn off his lunch as his dad fancied a little rest too. He hadn’t been walking long when he bumped into Special Agent Drew Fox, a colleague from the New York office who was out with his family in City Hall Park. They had both gone through their FBI training together, but Drew had not wanted to leave New York as he had started a family just after his promotion.
“Hey, man, happy Thanksgiving,” Blayze started as the pair shook hands.
Drew stepped away, gesturing to his wife, Carla, and son, Alfie. “You’ve met my family before, right?”
“A couple of times, yeah. I hope you are all well?” Blayze responded by giving his Carla a kiss on each cheek and rubbing Alfie’s head.
“I didn’t realize you were back already.”
“I’m just here for the holiday, then I’m back to Orlando tomorrow morning.”
“How’s it going down there?”
“Not great, really. Another boy was taken just the other day. And we still have no real leads.”
“If I know you, you’ll have this case closed before you know it,” Drew said, giving him a tap on the side of the arm.
“I hope so. Well, listen, you guys get off and enjoy the rest of your day. It was really great to see you all.”
“You too, man. See you back here soon.”
“Say hi to everyone for me, won’t you?”
“Will do, mate. Will do.”
Blayze continued to walk and found himself at Rockefeller Park, overlooking the Hudson River. He stayed there for a short while before deciding to head back to his parents’ place. He was getting colder and wanted to warm back up and relax before an early night. The thought of another good night’s sleep was far too important as his flight was first thing in the morning, and he knew he would be busy as soon as he got back.
Chapter 8
Upon arriving back from New York, feeling rested after taking a little time away, Blayze had wanted to put himself in the kidnapper’s shoes. After dropping his small case back at his apartment and grabbing the list of theme parks he had been given, he headed for a short walk near Lake Fredrica, to clear his mind and refocus.
He was standing outside Fantasy Land, one of the new parks that had opened this year and was next on the list of ones he hadn’t seen yet. It was much smaller than the previous ones he had already visited with Agent Scott. Blayze headed inside the park to see what it was like. Being a new park, Blayze knew the kidnapper wouldn’t have any previous knowledge of the park, and that if he was to take a child from here, he would need to research it himself. The first stop, though, was to head to the security office to introduce himself and make sure that the picture of the perpetrator they had printed was up in their office.
After a brief introduction, and a sense of how small-scale the security was at a park like this, it was time to wander around. Starting back at the main entrance, Blayze stood there, taking in everything he could see. He looked left, right, up and down for any potential and obvious places anyone could escape from. Unfortunately, there were dozens. A park like this, with it being a pop-up park, had a main entrance, but they set the rides up on open ground with just metal barriers placed around the edge to stop people from wandering in. This would not stop someone from trying to get out in a hurry and with the amount of security guards on shift at any one time, this worried Blayze. He knew parks like this came with more potential for kidnappings this year. There were several pop-up parks that had opened and he would need to visit them all just to survey the layout and write down all the potential exit points and what all their security measures are like.
As he walked around, he took a mental image of the area. There was no map for this park, as it wasn’t big enough to need one. He noticed that many of the rides were circular and, as they spun, their colors were mesmerizing and lured you in, just like a fantasy should. They had put everything they needed into a small space. The excitement, the thrill and the sugar rush, all within feet of each other.
He walked the full circumference in just fifteen minutes. Seeing the size and the layout, Blayze doubted the kidnapper would consider using this park as, although it had quick escape routes, it was much more open with little place to hide, therefore he would be noticed. With this in mind, it was crossed off Blayze’s list of parks to monitor. It was time to visit another.
He traveled over to Apopka to visit Snow White’s Castle. This was another new park that had opened this year, yet Blayze noticed it wasn’t your usual kind of park. There were no large rides and no loud music blasting out. It seemed silent and not what he would class as a park at all. It was just an enormous building. He got to the front door and read the sign that stood at the bottom of the four steps. It read, ‘Please ring the doorbell to be allowed into Snow White’s Castle’. So Blayze walked up and rang the bell as requested. An older gentleman with white hair, cleanly shaved and dressed as a butler, opened the door.
“Good day, sir. Welcome to Snow White’s Castle. Won’t you please come in and enjoy,” the man said with a welcoming hand gesture.
As the door closed, Blayze showed the man his credentials. “FBI. I’ve just come to look around if that is alright?”
The man looked a bit shocked, like something bad had happened and yet he didn’t know what. “Of course, is everything in order?” he asked as he closed the door.
“Yes, nothing to worry about. I am just checking out all the new parks that have opened this year.”
The man looked at him, rather puzzled. “And why is the FBI doing that?”
“I am working on an ongoing case which involves parks in the area and the only way I can do my job properly is if I get to see the parks for myself and get to know their layout.”
“Oh. I get it. Of course, please feel free,” the man replied with an agreeing nod. “Over here is a map of the building. It shows you where everything is.”
Blayze walked over to the map, which was very detailed. All the rooms had different names taken from the story of Snow White, and there were clear signs for toilets and eating facilities. “Can I ask who designed this?”
“The building was bought by the Sloan-Ironwood family just over a year ago. They have spent that year designing this place, hoping for it to be a year-round venue for families to come to.”
“Do you know the family well?”
“I was their personal butler a few years ago, but I wanted to retire. They offered me this job, and I have my own private quarters just over here.” He pointed to an unnamed section of the map. “All I have to do is open the door and greet people. There are other members of staff throughout the house, which you will see, who just come while the house is open to the public.”
“When is that?”
“At the moment, we are only open 10am till 4pm, and, although we are open right now, you will notice that it is rather quiet. There aren’t many visitors around lunchtime; we pick up more after one. This year is really a trial to see if the place can become a success. I have heard that the family is looking at turning it more into a hotel, overnight stay, sort of thing, but not until next year.”
“Thank you for the information. I won’t stay long, just a quick walk around, then I’ll be out of the way.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
Blayze made his way around the first floor of this large house, peering into all the different rooms. They were all enormous and had been designed so that the children would have an immersive experience. One room was like walking into a real mine. They had lowered the ceiling down in sections, placing small lights around to make it feel tunnel-like and had seven axes placed against the wall. Albeit, the axes, when he touched them, were actually made of rubber. It meant that children could pretend to be one of the seven dwarfs digging away. ‘Very clever,’ Blayze thought, knowing that it would definitely attract many people. Upon searching the rest of the property, he noticed the house had many doors that said ‘Keep Out’. Blayze was intrigued, so he headed back to the entrance and rang a little bell, which was on a table near the front door. Out came the old man.
“Is everything okay? Did you have a good look around?”
“Yes, thank you. I have one question, though. All the doors that have the words ‘Keep Out’ on them - where do they lead?”
“They are the old servants’ entrances. Here, let me show you.” He walked Blayze over to one such door, which was close to the man’s quarters, and opened it. “See.”
Blayze looked up at the set of extremely narrow steps between the walls.
“The house has secret stairways running throughout the walls, which lead to the kitchen, the laundry, and to the old staff living area. It’s quite a fascinating building, really.” Blayze nodded in agreement as he could see by the look on the man’s face that he enjoyed talking about this place he called home. “The family didn’t want to lose the history of the building and so kept its original structure. Few people know about the stairs, not even half the staff.”
“That is fascinating,” Blayze noted as he shut the door, while thinking that, one, his list of suspects would be smaller here if anything were to happen, and two, all the ways the kidnapper could exit with someone and no one see them at all. “Thank you so much for your time.” Blayze headed for the main door.
“You’re very welcome. Bring the family next time. I am sure they would love it.”
Blayze left the building, knowing that this could be a potential target.
Just as he was leaving, his phone beeped with a message. He reached into his pocket, and from just seeing the number, he knew exactly who it was. His ex, Olivia.
AFTER AGREEING TO MEET up with Olivia, Blayze had wanted a head-start, so he had already knocked back two neat whiskeys. They had thought it best to meet in private in case emotions got high and so Blayze had offered his place.
A knock came on his apartment door. She was early. He opened the door and there she stood, the girl he had once thought he would marry. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Hi, Blayze. Can I come in?”
He pushed the door open and let her in, saying nothing. He looked at her as she passed. Still as petite as ever with long flowing blonde hair, wearing a black, thigh-length dress and high heels. He remembered that she never left their old apartment without wearing heels, as she was always concerned about her height and wanted to match everyone else. He closed the door, and she placed her handbag on the table in front of the sofa.
“Why have you come now?” Blayze headed straight for his empty glass, which needed a refill.
“Can I get one of those too?”
Blayze went into the kitchen to fetch another glass. He poured them both a drink. “So come on, after all this time, why now?” She still didn’t reply and waited for her drink to arrive.
She took a big gulp and began. “Me and Robbie have split up.”
“You’ve come all this way to tell me that the man you ran off with has left you? Well, boo hoo.”
“No, I’ve left him.”
“Well, there’s a pattern here then, isn’t there?” Blayze took a seat in the chair opposite Olivia.
“I realized he wasn’t the one for me. But you are.”
Blayze almost spat his drink out. “What the fuck! You left me with no explanation and now you’re saying you made a mistake and want me back? You are deranged.”
He stood up and headed to get the bottle he had left in the kitchen, as he knew this would not be an easy night. As he walked back past her, she slumped down on the sofa and started crying. “No, no, no,” he started, “don’t be playing the innocent one here. That’s now two men you’ve left, and for what? Please tell me, as I would love to find out why you did actually leave. Was he better in bed?” Blayze kept pushing and couldn’t stop himself. “Were you cheating on me with him? Does he have a bigger bank balance? Was his dick bigger? Come on.”
Olivia jumped out of her seat, still crying. “Just shut up! Shut up, okay? It was none of those things.” She walked behind the sofa, almost circling it. “I was scared.”
“Of what? Me?”
“No, not of you, don’t be silly. Of the situation.”
“Now you’re not making sense.”
She sat back down and took another sip of her drink. “I was scared of us. We were moving so fast that I thought that was it. I wasn’t ready to be a wife and mother and have to stay at home to look after children all the time. You were always away with work and I would have had to do it all by myself.”
“Hang on a minute. Let me get this straight. Instead of talking that through with me, you just left and got with a new guy because he didn’t want a family and kids? That’s just great. Thanks a lot.”
Blayze walked over to the front door and grabbed his coat off the hook on the wall.
“Where are you going?”
“I need a minute to get my head around all of this, and I’m going to need more drinks. If you are here when I get back, then we can talk more. That’s your choice.”
Not waiting for an answer, he left.
It had only been ten minutes before he returned, along with two more bottles of whiskey. He opened the door and there she still was. “Helped yourself, I see.” He noticed she had poured herself another large one, finishing what was left in the bottle on the table.
“Well, it’s a good job you’ve brought some more.”
Blayze put the bottles down in the kitchen and took off his coat. He sat back down, his head a little clearer now about her reason, but he was still upset about it all. It was coming up to three years since she had walked out and Blayze hadn’t been in a relationship since, except the odd one-night stand here and there, but he hadn’t wanted to settle down and have the same thing happen all over again. Seeing her sitting there made him miss her again, and was bringing up how much he used to love her.
They talked for a while, sometimes about her reasons for leaving, but also reminiscing about the good times they had together. She had got Blayze to sit next to her while she brought up a picture of the two of them on her phone. They were talking about how naughty they used to be when she leaned in and gave Blayze a kiss. Blayze pulled back, not knowing what to make of the situation at first, but then decided, ‘What the hell?’ He went in for another.
The kiss didn’t stop there. Olivia soon ripped open Blayze’s shirt and took it off, throwing it on the floor. She stroked her hands all over Blayze’s ripped torso as he unzipped her dress. Visions were flashing through his mind, as this was how they used to be when they first met.
Still sitting down, with Blayze now leaning over her, Olivia began peeling her dress off her shoulders. Blayze stood her up and with a little flick, her dress fell to the ground, leaving her standing there in just her panties. He pulled back to get a good look at her almost naked body, but she leaned in and began groping his now hard penis. Taking that as a clear sign of what she really wanted, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
Chapter 9
The phone was ringing non-stop, and it took Blayze ages to answer it, mainly because of the raging hangover he had from all the whiskey the night before. He had rolled over and knocked it off the bedside table, thinking it was his morning alarm but that hadn’t stopped it ringing. He squinted at his watch with half-drunk eyes and noticed that it wasn’t even 7am yet. Finally, answering the call with a rough voice, he said, “Hello.” What he heard next made him wake up instantly, and he threw the phone onto the bed and jumped up.
“Ow,” came from a voice on the other side of the bed. The phone had hit Olivia.
“Shit, sorry. I forgot you were there.” The sudden realization of what had happened the previous night had just dawned on him, but he didn’t have time to ponder over it. He had to get to the office. He ran to the bathroom to wash his face and clean his teeth, spraying an exuberant amount of aftershave on to hide his alcohol breath.
His father made himself a coffee and one for Blayze’s mom and took them back to their bedroom, leaving Blayze to continue. After some time, both parents graced his presence, dressed warmly with sweaters on, ready for an afternoon in the cold. The parade was due to start at midday, and they had decided to go and see that first before coming back for lunch. Blayze knew from the message he had received that with no new leads, and with all the parks in Orlando being closed for the day, he had the whole day to relax and just be with his family. No one was being snatched today.
They didn’t stay at the parade for long because of Blayze’s mom’s legs not doing so well, and as the streets were very crowded, there was nowhere for her to sit down. They made their way back to the apartment and decided they would sit in comfort in front of the television and watch the rest of the parade that way. Blayze had cooked the rest of the lunch before the parade finished so that it was ready to eat straight away.
“This smells beautiful, son,” his mom said after taking in a deep breath.
“I hope you enjoy. It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for this many people.”
“You learned from the best,” his father said, looking over at his mom, who just smiled back and took his hand. “Let’s say grace.”
After a brief prayer from each of them saying what they were thankful for, the room fell silent as they all tucked into Blayze’s cooking. All Blayze could hear were the scrapes from the knives and forks as they all ate, along with occasional appreciation from his mom.
“That was needed,” Blayze said as he placed his cutlery down on his empty plate.
“Just stunning,” replied his mom. “That’s made me feel rather sleepy now, though. I think I’ll have to have a nap.”
Blayze watched as his father aided his mom back to the bedroom. He then gathered up all the plates and took them to the sink.
“Leave them to me, son,” his father said, reappearing in the kitchen. “You cooked. It’s only fair I do my bit.”
“Let’s do it together. It’ll be done much quicker that way.”
They agreed and had a good chat while cleaning the kitchen about Blayze’s new nickname ‘The Closer’, his mom’s illness and his brother.
Once they had finished, Blayze went for a walk around the city to burn off his lunch as his dad fancied a little rest too. He hadn’t been walking long when he bumped into Special Agent Drew Fox, a colleague from the New York office who was out with his family in City Hall Park. They had both gone through their FBI training together, but Drew had not wanted to leave New York as he had started a family just after his promotion.
“Hey, man, happy Thanksgiving,” Blayze started as the pair shook hands.
Drew stepped away, gesturing to his wife, Carla, and son, Alfie. “You’ve met my family before, right?”
“A couple of times, yeah. I hope you are all well?” Blayze responded by giving his Carla a kiss on each cheek and rubbing Alfie’s head.
“I didn’t realize you were back already.”
“I’m just here for the holiday, then I’m back to Orlando tomorrow morning.”
“How’s it going down there?”
“Not great, really. Another boy was taken just the other day. And we still have no real leads.”
“If I know you, you’ll have this case closed before you know it,” Drew said, giving him a tap on the side of the arm.
“I hope so. Well, listen, you guys get off and enjoy the rest of your day. It was really great to see you all.”
“You too, man. See you back here soon.”
“Say hi to everyone for me, won’t you?”
“Will do, mate. Will do.”
Blayze continued to walk and found himself at Rockefeller Park, overlooking the Hudson River. He stayed there for a short while before deciding to head back to his parents’ place. He was getting colder and wanted to warm back up and relax before an early night. The thought of another good night’s sleep was far too important as his flight was first thing in the morning, and he knew he would be busy as soon as he got back.
Chapter 8
Upon arriving back from New York, feeling rested after taking a little time away, Blayze had wanted to put himself in the kidnapper’s shoes. After dropping his small case back at his apartment and grabbing the list of theme parks he had been given, he headed for a short walk near Lake Fredrica, to clear his mind and refocus.
He was standing outside Fantasy Land, one of the new parks that had opened this year and was next on the list of ones he hadn’t seen yet. It was much smaller than the previous ones he had already visited with Agent Scott. Blayze headed inside the park to see what it was like. Being a new park, Blayze knew the kidnapper wouldn’t have any previous knowledge of the park, and that if he was to take a child from here, he would need to research it himself. The first stop, though, was to head to the security office to introduce himself and make sure that the picture of the perpetrator they had printed was up in their office.
After a brief introduction, and a sense of how small-scale the security was at a park like this, it was time to wander around. Starting back at the main entrance, Blayze stood there, taking in everything he could see. He looked left, right, up and down for any potential and obvious places anyone could escape from. Unfortunately, there were dozens. A park like this, with it being a pop-up park, had a main entrance, but they set the rides up on open ground with just metal barriers placed around the edge to stop people from wandering in. This would not stop someone from trying to get out in a hurry and with the amount of security guards on shift at any one time, this worried Blayze. He knew parks like this came with more potential for kidnappings this year. There were several pop-up parks that had opened and he would need to visit them all just to survey the layout and write down all the potential exit points and what all their security measures are like.
As he walked around, he took a mental image of the area. There was no map for this park, as it wasn’t big enough to need one. He noticed that many of the rides were circular and, as they spun, their colors were mesmerizing and lured you in, just like a fantasy should. They had put everything they needed into a small space. The excitement, the thrill and the sugar rush, all within feet of each other.
He walked the full circumference in just fifteen minutes. Seeing the size and the layout, Blayze doubted the kidnapper would consider using this park as, although it had quick escape routes, it was much more open with little place to hide, therefore he would be noticed. With this in mind, it was crossed off Blayze’s list of parks to monitor. It was time to visit another.
He traveled over to Apopka to visit Snow White’s Castle. This was another new park that had opened this year, yet Blayze noticed it wasn’t your usual kind of park. There were no large rides and no loud music blasting out. It seemed silent and not what he would class as a park at all. It was just an enormous building. He got to the front door and read the sign that stood at the bottom of the four steps. It read, ‘Please ring the doorbell to be allowed into Snow White’s Castle’. So Blayze walked up and rang the bell as requested. An older gentleman with white hair, cleanly shaved and dressed as a butler, opened the door.
“Good day, sir. Welcome to Snow White’s Castle. Won’t you please come in and enjoy,” the man said with a welcoming hand gesture.
As the door closed, Blayze showed the man his credentials. “FBI. I’ve just come to look around if that is alright?”
The man looked a bit shocked, like something bad had happened and yet he didn’t know what. “Of course, is everything in order?” he asked as he closed the door.
“Yes, nothing to worry about. I am just checking out all the new parks that have opened this year.”
The man looked at him, rather puzzled. “And why is the FBI doing that?”
“I am working on an ongoing case which involves parks in the area and the only way I can do my job properly is if I get to see the parks for myself and get to know their layout.”
“Oh. I get it. Of course, please feel free,” the man replied with an agreeing nod. “Over here is a map of the building. It shows you where everything is.”
Blayze walked over to the map, which was very detailed. All the rooms had different names taken from the story of Snow White, and there were clear signs for toilets and eating facilities. “Can I ask who designed this?”
“The building was bought by the Sloan-Ironwood family just over a year ago. They have spent that year designing this place, hoping for it to be a year-round venue for families to come to.”
“Do you know the family well?”
“I was their personal butler a few years ago, but I wanted to retire. They offered me this job, and I have my own private quarters just over here.” He pointed to an unnamed section of the map. “All I have to do is open the door and greet people. There are other members of staff throughout the house, which you will see, who just come while the house is open to the public.”
“When is that?”
“At the moment, we are only open 10am till 4pm, and, although we are open right now, you will notice that it is rather quiet. There aren’t many visitors around lunchtime; we pick up more after one. This year is really a trial to see if the place can become a success. I have heard that the family is looking at turning it more into a hotel, overnight stay, sort of thing, but not until next year.”
“Thank you for the information. I won’t stay long, just a quick walk around, then I’ll be out of the way.”
“Take as much time as you need.”
Blayze made his way around the first floor of this large house, peering into all the different rooms. They were all enormous and had been designed so that the children would have an immersive experience. One room was like walking into a real mine. They had lowered the ceiling down in sections, placing small lights around to make it feel tunnel-like and had seven axes placed against the wall. Albeit, the axes, when he touched them, were actually made of rubber. It meant that children could pretend to be one of the seven dwarfs digging away. ‘Very clever,’ Blayze thought, knowing that it would definitely attract many people. Upon searching the rest of the property, he noticed the house had many doors that said ‘Keep Out’. Blayze was intrigued, so he headed back to the entrance and rang a little bell, which was on a table near the front door. Out came the old man.
“Is everything okay? Did you have a good look around?”
“Yes, thank you. I have one question, though. All the doors that have the words ‘Keep Out’ on them - where do they lead?”
“They are the old servants’ entrances. Here, let me show you.” He walked Blayze over to one such door, which was close to the man’s quarters, and opened it. “See.”
Blayze looked up at the set of extremely narrow steps between the walls.
“The house has secret stairways running throughout the walls, which lead to the kitchen, the laundry, and to the old staff living area. It’s quite a fascinating building, really.” Blayze nodded in agreement as he could see by the look on the man’s face that he enjoyed talking about this place he called home. “The family didn’t want to lose the history of the building and so kept its original structure. Few people know about the stairs, not even half the staff.”
“That is fascinating,” Blayze noted as he shut the door, while thinking that, one, his list of suspects would be smaller here if anything were to happen, and two, all the ways the kidnapper could exit with someone and no one see them at all. “Thank you so much for your time.” Blayze headed for the main door.
“You’re very welcome. Bring the family next time. I am sure they would love it.”
Blayze left the building, knowing that this could be a potential target.
Just as he was leaving, his phone beeped with a message. He reached into his pocket, and from just seeing the number, he knew exactly who it was. His ex, Olivia.
AFTER AGREEING TO MEET up with Olivia, Blayze had wanted a head-start, so he had already knocked back two neat whiskeys. They had thought it best to meet in private in case emotions got high and so Blayze had offered his place.
A knock came on his apartment door. She was early. He opened the door and there she stood, the girl he had once thought he would marry. She looked up at him and smiled.
“Hi, Blayze. Can I come in?”
He pushed the door open and let her in, saying nothing. He looked at her as she passed. Still as petite as ever with long flowing blonde hair, wearing a black, thigh-length dress and high heels. He remembered that she never left their old apartment without wearing heels, as she was always concerned about her height and wanted to match everyone else. He closed the door, and she placed her handbag on the table in front of the sofa.
“Why have you come now?” Blayze headed straight for his empty glass, which needed a refill.
“Can I get one of those too?”
Blayze went into the kitchen to fetch another glass. He poured them both a drink. “So come on, after all this time, why now?” She still didn’t reply and waited for her drink to arrive.
She took a big gulp and began. “Me and Robbie have split up.”
“You’ve come all this way to tell me that the man you ran off with has left you? Well, boo hoo.”
“No, I’ve left him.”
“Well, there’s a pattern here then, isn’t there?” Blayze took a seat in the chair opposite Olivia.
“I realized he wasn’t the one for me. But you are.”
Blayze almost spat his drink out. “What the fuck! You left me with no explanation and now you’re saying you made a mistake and want me back? You are deranged.”
He stood up and headed to get the bottle he had left in the kitchen, as he knew this would not be an easy night. As he walked back past her, she slumped down on the sofa and started crying. “No, no, no,” he started, “don’t be playing the innocent one here. That’s now two men you’ve left, and for what? Please tell me, as I would love to find out why you did actually leave. Was he better in bed?” Blayze kept pushing and couldn’t stop himself. “Were you cheating on me with him? Does he have a bigger bank balance? Was his dick bigger? Come on.”
Olivia jumped out of her seat, still crying. “Just shut up! Shut up, okay? It was none of those things.” She walked behind the sofa, almost circling it. “I was scared.”
“Of what? Me?”
“No, not of you, don’t be silly. Of the situation.”
“Now you’re not making sense.”
She sat back down and took another sip of her drink. “I was scared of us. We were moving so fast that I thought that was it. I wasn’t ready to be a wife and mother and have to stay at home to look after children all the time. You were always away with work and I would have had to do it all by myself.”
“Hang on a minute. Let me get this straight. Instead of talking that through with me, you just left and got with a new guy because he didn’t want a family and kids? That’s just great. Thanks a lot.”
Blayze walked over to the front door and grabbed his coat off the hook on the wall.
“Where are you going?”
“I need a minute to get my head around all of this, and I’m going to need more drinks. If you are here when I get back, then we can talk more. That’s your choice.”
Not waiting for an answer, he left.
It had only been ten minutes before he returned, along with two more bottles of whiskey. He opened the door and there she still was. “Helped yourself, I see.” He noticed she had poured herself another large one, finishing what was left in the bottle on the table.
“Well, it’s a good job you’ve brought some more.”
Blayze put the bottles down in the kitchen and took off his coat. He sat back down, his head a little clearer now about her reason, but he was still upset about it all. It was coming up to three years since she had walked out and Blayze hadn’t been in a relationship since, except the odd one-night stand here and there, but he hadn’t wanted to settle down and have the same thing happen all over again. Seeing her sitting there made him miss her again, and was bringing up how much he used to love her.
They talked for a while, sometimes about her reasons for leaving, but also reminiscing about the good times they had together. She had got Blayze to sit next to her while she brought up a picture of the two of them on her phone. They were talking about how naughty they used to be when she leaned in and gave Blayze a kiss. Blayze pulled back, not knowing what to make of the situation at first, but then decided, ‘What the hell?’ He went in for another.
The kiss didn’t stop there. Olivia soon ripped open Blayze’s shirt and took it off, throwing it on the floor. She stroked her hands all over Blayze’s ripped torso as he unzipped her dress. Visions were flashing through his mind, as this was how they used to be when they first met.
Still sitting down, with Blayze now leaning over her, Olivia began peeling her dress off her shoulders. Blayze stood her up and with a little flick, her dress fell to the ground, leaving her standing there in just her panties. He pulled back to get a good look at her almost naked body, but she leaned in and began groping his now hard penis. Taking that as a clear sign of what she really wanted, he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom.
Chapter 9
The phone was ringing non-stop, and it took Blayze ages to answer it, mainly because of the raging hangover he had from all the whiskey the night before. He had rolled over and knocked it off the bedside table, thinking it was his morning alarm but that hadn’t stopped it ringing. He squinted at his watch with half-drunk eyes and noticed that it wasn’t even 7am yet. Finally, answering the call with a rough voice, he said, “Hello.” What he heard next made him wake up instantly, and he threw the phone onto the bed and jumped up.
“Ow,” came from a voice on the other side of the bed. The phone had hit Olivia.
“Shit, sorry. I forgot you were there.” The sudden realization of what had happened the previous night had just dawned on him, but he didn’t have time to ponder over it. He had to get to the office. He ran to the bathroom to wash his face and clean his teeth, spraying an exuberant amount of aftershave on to hide his alcohol breath.
