Chapter 6.
The knock startled Sheila out of her day dreams, and she jumped up from her chair to hurry to the door. She hadn't noticed that it was dark outside, and she felt like a fool when she opened the door to see Sharon Miller standing there in the dark. She immediately switched on the light.
"Goodness, I wasn't watching the time... Please come in," Sheila said sheepishly, completely forgetting about Sharon's wanton activities by the firelight last night.
"It does get dark early here... How are you, dear?" Sharon said in response. Her tone was friendly, almost too much so, and Sheila saw that she was smiling as she stepped into the room.
"I'm fine, thank you," Sheila answered, forgetting also that she was supposed to have a headache.
"The children didn't forget to tell you I was coming? A night out can do wonders for a headache..." Sharon eyed her friend's outfit, aware that she had taken some time to get ready.
She was pleased that she wouldn't have to sell Sheila on going out with her, as it was obvious she was dressed to go. "Your dress is just perfect for Stone's place."
"Well, I really didn't know what to wear, but the choice was easy. This is the only dressy outfit I brought," Sheila smiled, assuming Stones's Place was a local Big Sur restaurant.
She purposely ignored the comment about her headache as Sharon didn't seem to want or need an explanation anyway. And keeping the conversation on clothes was a means of preventing it coming up again.
The other woman kept her coat on, but it was open in the front, enough so that Sheila could see the type of dress she was wearing. It appeared to be quite revealing and a bit too sexy for just going out to a restaurant, but Sheila figured that was simply the way she always dressed at night.
"I'll get my coat and we can go," Sheila said, walking into the bedroom, again reminded of how she had used her coat when watching Sharon and the two men.
She made a mental note to be careful about everything she mentioned that evening, as a slip of the tongue could give her away.
I'd just die if she knew I had been watching her with those two naked men!
Coat on, Sheila returned to the living room and smiled at Sharon. "I sure do appreciate your invitation, Sharon... It'll be good to get out this evening."
"It's something we should have done ages ago... Strange that we have to come all the way down here before getting together for an evening." Of course, she never would have considered taking Sheila Park to such a party if her daughter hadn't suggested it.
Patty thought Sheila needed loosening up, and if that didn't happen at Stone's place, nothing would ever help her.
"All set," Sheila announced as she turned off all but one light in the living room. Sharon had left her car down by the camp manager's office and the two well-dressed women walked together in silence, Sheila pulling her coat around her while Sharon let her wrap hang open.
Once in the car, Sharon drove up to the coast highway and headed south. About a mile later she turned left onto a narrow road that wound among dense groves of redwood trees.
Along the way, Sheila observed several private homes surrounded by large parcels of property, and she couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to own such places.
It was the privacy that each offered that appealed to her most. After they had been on the road for nearly ten minutes, Sharon finally turned in past large stone stanchions, onto a private drive.
Sheila wondered just where they were going, as from the entrance to the property, she couldn't see any sign of a building or structure of any kind.
"This is Stone's place!" Sharon abruptly announced, gesturing ahead with her hand.
"My, it's certainly off the beaten path," Sheila commented, and she was thinking it had to be very special to get people to come such a distance. "How much property do they have here?" she questioned wanting to make small talk.
"It's quite extensive... You should really see it in the daylight. The river runs right behind the place!" Sharon said, but she was laughing to herself, sure that after that evening she would only be interested in other things.
Sheila stared ahead into the darkness beyond the headlights of the car, and for several minutes she saw nothing. But then, as if suddenly looming up before her, there were lighted windows like iridescent squares among the trees.
In another moment, they were in an area where several other cars were parked. Sharon pulled up and stopped next to an expensive foreign sports car. Sheila immediately assumed that the restaurant had to be quite expensive too.
"Well, I certainly am amazed. I never would have found this place on my own," Sheila said as she got out of the car.
"We are here by special invitation, Sheila... And I think you'll find it fun." Patty's mother smiled and led the way to the front door of the large, modernistic house.
"Do you mean it's a private club?" she questioned, surprised by her friend's statement.
"Club? You must be confused... This is a private home," Sharon explained, even though she had known all along that Sheila had been thinking they were going to a restaurant. "This is Stone's place... His home!"
It was too late to turn back. Sheila Park felt her heart pounding as she realized what Sharon was saying. They were going into someone's private residence, which could only mean it was also a party.
Her eyes scanned over the building and grounds, taking in all she could see in the darkness, and it was apparent that the place belonged to an extremely wealthy man. She had no idea of what to expect inside, but the fact of being around the rich made her nervous.
She wasn't sure she would know how to act in the midst of such wealth. And worse, with all of them present there was always the chance of something bizarre and unusual happening. But she couldn't leave, at least not right then.
Sheila laughed artificially, "I thought this place was a restaurant!" She didn't want her friend to think her foolish and awkwardly shy, but she knew it must be written all over her face.
"You mean they didn't tell you it was a party?" Sharon said, though she knew they hadn't.
"No... I guess they forgot..."
"Well, believe me, the food here is far superior to any restaurant in the area," Sharon added, as if to imply that Sheila's concern was for the quality of the place.
Her comment embarrassed Sheila, and that was exactly the effect she wanted. She stepped up to the door and rang the bell before anything else could be said.
For Sheila, it seemed to take forever for someone to come to the door; but in fact, the door opened a few seconds later. Standing in the doorway was a tall rather handsome man.
Sheila was instantly reminded of the typical rich playboy. His hair was wavy and dark, his features sharply defined and evenly tanned, but it was his eyes that caught her attention first. They were like black liquid pools, large and mysterious, and she felt he was able to look right through her.
"Ah, at last my special guests arrive," the man said, his voice deep toned and masculine. "Sharon, my dear, it's good to see you again."
Sheila tried to maintain her composure as the tall man warmly kissed Patty's mother on the lips and then a second later turned to face her. His physical presence seemed to reach out and engulf her completely.
"This is Sheila Park, the one I told you about," Sharon said, and then to Sheila, "Your host."
"Thank you for inviting us, Mr...." She wondered about his last name.
"Stone! But please call me Frank," he answered taking her hand in his.
Sheila was confused, and it showed. Was his name Frank or Stone? she wondered. The explanation came before she could ask.
"Everyone calls this shack Stone's place... My name is Frank Stone," he said, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"I see," Sheila said in a soft voice. She wasn't sure what to make of the man standing before her, but his smile was so pleasant and reassuring that her nervousness went away.
When he turned his attention back to Sharon, Sheila couldn't help looking him over. He was wearing a colorful, loose fitting shirt and dark slacks, a casual outfit that somehow looked very, very expensive on him. She guessed him to be about forty, as there was a hint of grey in his sideburns.
"Everyone seems to have gathered in the game room," Frank said, his wink to Sharon going unseen by Sheila. "Please follow me, ladies," he added, and he offered an arm to both of them.
Sheila couldn't help being impressed by his suave manner, and she put her arm in his, anxious to see more of the large house.
Every room was wood paneled, some in different shades than others, and the ceiling seemed to vault into the sky, standing at the top of round wood pillars.
He led them through the two-storied living room, and to one side was a wide stairway that led below.
It was then that Sheila realized the living room stood at least one story above the back of the house, and as she walked down the stairs, she saw before her a long room that appeared crowded with people.
It was lit only by candles, so it was hard to tell just how many people there were, but the room was obviously built for just such a gathering.
To one side were floor to ceiling windows, and outside was a balcony running the length of the room. There were spotlights mounted somewhere on the house that pointed out to large redwoods and the river.
It made an impressive picture, like a setting that Sheila had seen before only in movies. Scattered about the dark wood paneled room were couches and overstuffed chairs, and here and there were large pillows thrown down on the carpeted floor.