Luna
We stopped off at a diner just outside the city for breakfast. It was a tiny mom-and-pop place that served a delicious all-American breakfast. I am full and content, looking out the window as we get back on the highway.
“Do I get to know where we are going yet?” I ask, looking back at Dante, who looks every bit of the word, manly, in the driver's seat. He picked me up in a fancy BMW, and I can’t say that that doesn’t turn me on, because all I can think about is him fucking me in the back seat.
Dante smirks, a huff of air coming out of his nose. “No, not yet, angel. We will be there soon. Sit back and enjoy the ride.” I smile, sit back in my seat, and look out the window.
Dante takes the next exit off the highway, and we head through the coastal side of Massachusetts.
The sandy beaches and families fishing at the shoreline remind me of when I was a kid; the last family vacation we took before they died was to a small beach town like this one.
I don’t remember where my parents took me, but I remember the scent of salty sea air was so overwhelming that it annoyed my mother and made my father laugh.
I’m sure they would have loved where I chose to live, my apartment, and how independent I’ve grown, but boy, do I miss them and wish they could see how happy I am now.
I shake the sad thoughts away and blink back the tears that threaten to fall. Today is supposed to be a good day, and I won’t ruin it with my miserable brain that loves to remind me that my parents are dead at the most inconvenient times.
We have been driving for about an hour when Dante says, “Look out your window, read the sign.”
I sit up in my seat, and my eyes lock with a welcome sign that reads, ‘You are now entering Salem’.
“Shut up! No way! I’ve wanted to visit since I was a kid when I watched Hocus Pocus for the first time!
” I squeal, and Dante is beaming. “Wait! It’s October!
Oh my gosh! I get to see Salem in October! ”
“I figured you’d be interested in going since you told me about the gathering you went to at Pyre. I’m glad my intuition was correct.”
“You have no idea how excited I am!” Any sad thought I had vanished, and now I’m vibrating with anticipation.
“We are staying at a place called The Merchant, it’s in the heart of the town, and within walking distance from most of the itineraries I have planned for us,” he says, giving me a wink.
“And here we are now.” Dante pulls into a narrow alleyway between two red-brick buildings, parking under a green canopy.
I open my door, and I’m greeted by an older gentleman with a warm smile, “Hello, I’m Thomas Darling, the owner of The Merchant. Welcome to my bed and breakfast.”
“Hi, my name is Luna,” I say, shaking his hand.
Dante rounds the car, “Dante,” he says, shaking Thomas’s hand.
“You two are my only guests this weekend. It was fully booked, but we had a few last-minute rebookings. Odd for this time of year, but lucky for you two! The festival has great food options, and many of the attractions are worth the small entry fees.” Thomas waves us toward the lime-green door.
“Please enter through here at the back door; the front door always stays locked. You have free rein to pick any room upstairs, and the kitchen fridge is stocked. I’ll be staying here in the backyard in the in-law suite, if you need anything.
Please feel at home during your stay, and I hope your stay with us is excellent. ”
“Thank you, Thomas,” Dante says, and Thomas nods, leaving us to unpack the car. Dante turns to me, “Go upstairs and pick out a room for us. I’ll bring up the bags.”
“Okay,” I say, as Dante leans in, kissing the top of my head, and turns to get our bags. I enter the Queen Anne-style house, and I’m greeted by beautiful Victorian decor. The downstairs has a gothic feel, leaning into the whole ‘witchy’ vibes with dark walls and macabre-looking furniture.
I find the stairs near the front door, in the grand foyer.
The dark cedar steps lead up to a landing with four rooms. I walk down the small hallway and find a beautifully decorated room, light blue in all its shades, carried throughout.
I peer back to see the other rooms, but this one is calling to me.
It has a fireplace at the foot of the bed and the best lighting from all the windows.
It’ll be nice waking up here in the morning. It’s a change from my dark, grungy city apartment that I love.
“Is this the one?”
Dante’s voice startles me, and I turn, clutching my chest. “You’re so quiet when you walk sometimes. I didn’t even hear you come up the steps.”
Dante deposits the bags at the foot of the bed. “I take pride in my quietness,” He smirks, turning to scoop me up in his arms from behind. He rests his chin on my shoulder as we look out the window, down on the street where we see several people walking. “Are you ready for your first surprise?”
“More surprises? Dante, this is already enough for me,” I say, turning in his arms to face him.
He leans down, capturing my mouth, kissing me softly. “You deserve so much more, more than I can ever give you.” His words sound like a warning, but I hear no malice in his voice. It sounds like a confession to himself, more than it is to me.
I reach up, smoothing the worry lines in his brows, caressing his face, and he leans into my touch. “Let's go. I’m ready to see the town and the rest of my surprises.” I smile, and Dante lets go of me, slipping the hand I have on his face into his.
Dante surprises me with tickets to the town's annual festival, and we've spent the last two hours eating from various food trucks and vendors as we walk around, soaking up the atmosphere.
The scenery is so beautiful, and everyone has been kind and welcoming.
It nags at the back of my brain, a question I've been wondering ever since the break-in: maybe I should move out of the apartment for a quiet life? As much as I love my apartment, is it really safe for me, even with all the new security upgrades? A safety bar doesn’t stand a chance against someone crazed and obsessed.
But I love being in the city so much, maybe I can talk with the landlord and ask them if I can add more permanent safety upgrades.
I just have this feeling like it isn’t over, and something is still coming.
I try not to think back to the night with Jordyn and her ominous fortune-telling, but maybe something bigger is coming, and it’s best to leave town before that happens?
I don’t know, it’s probably just my anxiety.
Dante comes back from throwing away our trash and holds out his hand.
“Now, we are off to the next stop. The tour starts in twenty minutes, a perfect amount of time for us to get there.” He leads us down cobblestone pathways that run all over Salem, and we spend the next couple of hours taking tours at every museum Salem has to offer.
I got to relearn some things I’d forgotten over the years, and by the end of all the tours, I felt emotionally exhausted, but I have a deeper connection to the history.
It’s inspired me to write a few scenes in the new book, and I’m excited to get back to my laptop.
The sun is starting to set as we finish our meal at this cute harborside fish and chip shop. “Are you ready for your last surprise?” Dante asks, his green eyes practically glowing in the setting sun.
“I don’t know how you could top this, but I’m ready,” I say, smiling and crossing my arms over my chest.
Dante leans forward, resting his elbows on the metal table and tucking his fist under his chin.
“The Uber will be here shortly to take us back to The Merchant. When we arrive, I want you to go upstairs, open my bag, and grab the bag with your name on it. Understood?” The dominant tone in his voice pulls at my core.
I nod, licking my suddenly dry lips. “Good girl,” he says with a wink.
A black SUV pulls up next to us on the street, and Dante nods his head in its direction.
We stand from the table, and Dante guides me to the car, his hand touching the small of my back the entire time, feeling like it’s burning a hole right through my shirt.
There’s a shift in the way he’s looking at me, and it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up, but in a good way, like he’s about to eat me alive when we get back to our room.
Dante opens the door for me, and I slide into the back seat. He slides in next to me, shuts the door, and the car starts moving.
I cross my legs to stop the ache between my thighs from building. I don’t need to come on this stranger's seat. I drag my eyes from the floorboard to find Dante’s intense gaze.
There's a darkness behind it. I’ve seen it before, when we were at Abby’s Place and at the gym when that creep tried to pick me up.
It scared me at first, but if I’m being honest, it’s a river in my panties right now.
I’m the farthest thing from scared, and I think it’s because I’ve spent so much time with him now.
I know he’s not going to hurt me. If anything, he’s a little obsessed with me; he can hardly keep his hands to himself most days, and being anxious about what’s to come next is making it harder not to slip right off this leather seat.
I take a deep breath, slowly blowing it out, and try not to squirm too much.